In the United States, life-threatening storm surges are due to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast this week with the arrival of Hurricane Milton. The weather system is strengthening over the southern Gulf of Mexico and is set to make landfall on Wednesday evening in Florida, which along with the wider southeastern United States continues to recover from the impact of Hurricane Helene. Hurricane Helene, made landfall in Florida last month, killing more than 230 people in six states.

The National Hurricane Center today said, Milton is now a Category 2 storm with sustained wind speeds of 100 miles per hour. It is expected to intensify rapidly and become a major hurricane later in the day, making widespread evacuation orders likely across Florida.

During a media briefing yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis said that an around-the-clock operation to clear debris and fallen trees from Helene was underway ahead of Milton’s arrival, to minimize the threat from flying objects.

The Mexican government has issued a hurricane warning for the Yucatan Peninsula coast.