Meteorologist John Morales broke down live on air while describing the magnitude of Hurricane Milton on Monday. Watching satellite images of the hurricane’s path, Morales got choked up and then apologized to viewers for being emotional: “I’m sorry – it’s just terrible.”
As the clip went viral, John Morales also shared it, writing, “I was debating whether to share this. I did apologize on air. But I invite you to read my @BulletinAtomic introspection on how extreme weather 📈 driven by global warming has changed me. Honestly, YOU should be rocked and ask too.”
According to the latest update, the historic superstorm, Hurricane Milton, is threatening to reach known maximum limits with wind gusts already exceeding 200 mph, leading to calls for a new Category 6 designation for it. Two weeks ago, Hurricane Helen devastated US states that are still dealing with it. Florida meteorologist Noah Bergren said it was nothing short of astronomical. “I can’t find the words to describe to you the meteorological look and intensity of the storm. This hurricane is approaching the mathematical limit of what the Earth’s atmosphere over this ocean water can produce,” he said.
The storm was downgraded to a Category 4 early Tuesday, but is now expected to gain more strength as it heads toward Florida’s Gulf Coast.
After forming in the Gulf of Mexico, Milton quickly accelerated from a tropical storm with winds of 60 mph on Sunday morning to a deadly Category 5 hurricane with winds of 180 mph by Monday — an incredible tripling in strength in just 36 hours. If the hurricane reaches winds of 192 miles per hour, it will exceed a rare threshold that only five storms have reached since 1980, USA Today reported.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN that if residents choose to “stay in one of these evacuation zones, you’re going to die.”
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration on Monday after promising “life-saving resources ahead of the storm” a day earlier. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that the state has stockpiled millions of gallons of fuel, trucks of food, water and medical supplies, Starlinks and flood protection systems to protect “critical infrastructure.”
