16 Tweets That Show Just How Terrifying Hurricane Milton Is

1. All eyes are on Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico.

2. The National Hurricane Service just reported that Milton is now a category 5 storm with sustained winds of up to 160 mph.

3. The storm went from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane in 24 hours. As storm chaser Colin McCarthy said, "Hurricane Milton will go down in history."

4. Meteorologist Matthew Cappucci pointed out how wild this intensification is, "Milton is a Category 5 hurricane with winds up to 160 mph. That is a 70 mph uptick in barely 13 hours – nearly quadrupling the rate of strengthening needed for 'rapid intensification.'"

5. Meteorologist Dylan Federico says this is the second fastest category 1 to category 5 storm in Atlantic Basin history.

6. Meteorologist Philip Klotzbach also points out that Hurricane Milton is one of only two October category 5 hurricanes to develop in the Gulf of Mexico since 1966.

7. The exact track of the storm is still uncertain, but all eyes are on Florida. Meteorologist Chandler Pruett posted this risk map based on National Weather Service information:

8. The National Weather Service says Milton has the potential to be the "worst storm to impact the Tampa area in 100 years."

9. Storm surge is forecasted to be 8–12 feet from Wednesday into Thursday.

10. This map from the National Weather Service shows what storm surge of 8–12 feet could look like:

11. The Weather Channel meteorologist Greg Postel shared this picture of the lightning around the eye, saying Milton has the potential to strengthen even more.

12. Meteorologist Eric Burris pointed out the pressure continues to decrease and winds will be higher than 160 mph.

13. In response to the news, Floridians are already taking precautions.

14. The Tampa International Airport has announced it will close on 9 a.m. Tuesday.

15. Tropicana Field in Tampa is looking like this:

16. And here's what I-75 northbound looked like 11 a.m. this morning:

Since this post was published, Milton has strengthened again. Its max winds are now up to 175 mph.

Make sure you follow the National Weather Service for updates about the storm. A lot can happen in the next 24–48 hours.