MEZIESBLOG

The US Department of Transportation is reminding people of the dangers of attempting to drive through floodwaters.

It only takes about 12 inches (30cm) of water for most cars to start floating and potentially be swept away in rushing water, the department says ahead of Milton’s arrival in Florida.

The official guidance is the phrase: “Turn around, don’t drown.”

The department also reminds people that it’s extremely unsafe to walk or swim through floodwaters.

The new bulletin from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami says that “Milton wobbled a bit to the southeast” on Tuesday, forcing forecasters to change their expected track.

“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” the NHC says.

The NHC adds that even the most accurate forecasts could still be off by about 60 miles (100km), so residents across the entire state should be prepared to feel Milton’s impact.

Milton will “maintain major hurricane strength” as it travels through the Gulf, “but even if this causes some weakening, it will likely not be enough to keep Milton from being an extremely dangerous hurricane when it reaches shore”.

“Evacuations and other preparations should be completed today,” the forecast adds.

Hurricane Milton has continued to strengthen over the last few hours – and is now, once again, a category five hurricane. Sustained winds in the centre are about 165mph (270km/h) with gusts even stronger than that.

The storm’s strength is, in part, down to the exceptionally warm oceans it has been travelling over. Sea surface temperatures in that area of the world are significantly higher than normal, something that scientists say has been made many times more likely by climate change.

Milton may weaken somewhat as it heads towards Florida. Current forecasts suggest it will make landfall as a top-end category three storm. But make no mistake, it will still be an extremely powerful hurricane.

The combination of damaging winds, widespread flooding rain and a storm surge of up to 15 feet (4.5m) is likely to be devastating.