Hurricane Milton Fifth Strongest Atlantic Storm Ever

Hurricane Milton, which hit Category 5 strength yesterday, is now the fifth most powerful storm by pressure ever seen in the Atlantic.
Milton hit wind speeds as high as 180 mph on Monday evening, with the pressure in the hurricane’s eye falling to a “near record low” of 897 mb.
The hurricane has since dropped back to a Category 4 strength, with wind speeds of 145 mph and a central pressure of 924 mb, but is still expected to cause immense damage and spark “life-threatening” conditions when it makes landfall in Florida on Wednesday evening.
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“Hurricane Milton’s minimum pressure has dropped to the infamous sub-900 mb mark, with a central pressure of 897 mb, making it the 5th most intense hurricane in Atlantic history by central pressure,” extreme weather chaser Colin McCarthy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday night. “A monster Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 180 mph and gusts to 225 mph.”
Central pressure is a key indicator of a hurricane’s strength: The lower the central pressure, the stronger the hurricane. This inverse relationship occurs because lower pressure at the center of the storm causes air to flow inward, which intensifies the storm’s winds and overall power. As the central pressure drops, wind speeds typically increase.
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According to NWS Jacksonville, the only other storms to see a central pressure lower than Milton were Hurricane Wilma in 2005 which hit 882mb, Gilbert in 1988 which saw 888mb, the 1935 Labor Day hurricane which hit 892mb, and 2005’s Hurricane Rita at 895mb.
“This is nothing short of astronomical. I am at a loss for words to meteorologically describe you the storms small eye and intensity. 897mb pressure with 180 MPH max sustained winds and gusts 200+ MPH. This is now the [5th] strongest hurricane ever recorded by pressure on this side of the world. The eye is TINY at nearly 3.8 miles wide,” Noah Bergren, a meteorologist at FOX35Orlando, posted to X. “This hurricane is nearing the mathematical limit of what Earth’s atmosphere over this ocean water can produce.”
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Milton intensified incredibly quickly on Monday, with wind speeds increasing by 95 mph in a single 24-hour period.
“There is evidence that storms are getting stronger and intensifying more rapidly due to climate change, due to there being warmer waters available to fuel tropical cyclones,” Brian Tang, an associate professor of atmospheric science at the University at Albany, New York, told Newsweek. “The main impacts of climate change, however, are through 1) greater storm surge due to sea level rise and 2) heavier rainfall that can cause severe flooding.”
Milton is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida on Wednesday evening, with large stretches of the coast under Hurricane Warnings and Tropical Storm Warnings.
“Maximum sustained winds are near 145 mph (230 km/h) with higher gusts. Milton is an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida,” the NHC said in a public advisory.
Storm surges of up to 15 feet are forecast in some areas, with as much as 18 inches of rain expected to fall, triggering dangerous flash floods.
“A large area of destructive storm surge will occur along parts of the west coast of Florida. This is an extremely life-threatening situation and residents in those areas should follow advice given by local officials and evacuate immediately if told to do so,” the NHC said in a forecast discussion.
“Areas of heavy rainfall will continue to impact portions of Florida well ahead of Milton through early Thursday. This rainfall brings the risk of life-threatening flash, urban and aerial flooding along with moderate to major river flooding. Flooding will be exacerbated in areas where coastal and inland flooding combine to increase the overall threat.”
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