Authorities in Campeche reported one death following the passage of Hurricane Milton, which grazed the northwestern Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 5 storm on Monday.
After intensifying rapidly from a Category 3 to a Category 5 hurricane, Milton dumped considerable rain on Campeche city and caused flooding as far inland as Mérida, the capital of Yucatán.
Así amaneció #Mérida tras los efectos del huracán #Milton. ⚠🌧
En un recorrido se observó algunas calles anegadas, encharcamientos “comunes” que en su mayoría no afectan ni a la circulación de los pocos vehículos que hay en las calles, ni causan perjuicios a las viviendas. pic.twitter.com/bl1d7ZJ7Em
— Diario de Yucatán (@DiariodeYucatan) October 8, 2024
At midnight on Monday, Milton was roughly 100 kilometers north of Mérida but advanced northeast before being downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane.
Civil Protection authorities in Yucatán urged residents to not let their guard down, warning that even though the hurricane had weakened slightly, its volatility suggested it could strengthen again.
Yucatán Governor Joaquín Díaz reported that thousands of residents in several eastern Yucatán cities had sought refuge in shelters on Monday. A hurricane warning remains in effect for Celestún to Rio Lagartos, Yucatán; the area from Rio Lagartos to Cabo Catoche is under a hurricane watch.
Officials exhorted the public to obey official warnings as authorities sought to restore electricity in places where power had been knocked out by the storm. Meanwhile, schools remain closed in Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, and inland archaeological sites such as Chichén Itzá are closed until further notice.
Update 1100 #MILTON FORECAST TO RETAIN MAJOR #HURRICANE STATUS AND EXPAND IN
SIZE WHILE IT APPROACHES THE WEST COAST OF #FLORIDA…
…TODAY IS THE LAST FULL DAY FOR FLORIDA RESIDENTS TO GET THEIR
FAMILIES AND HOMES READY AND EVACUATE IF TOLD TO DO SO BY LOCAL
OFFICIALS #FL pic.twitter.com/aewkYUOM8g— National Hurricane Center (@NWSNHC) October 8, 2024
At 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday, Conagua reported that Hurricane Milton was still drenching the Yucatán Peninsula with intense rain and whipping the northern coast with 180-200 km/h winds while producing dangerous six to eight-meter-high waves.
Conagua also warned about waterspouts off the northern coast of Quintana Roo on the eastern side of the peninsula.
Milton is expected to continue its path northeast toward Florida, where it is expected to make landfall near Tampa Bay before midnight Wednesday. Florida authorities have issued an evacuation order in the face of what is being called a “once-in-a-century” storm.
With reports from La Jornada, Forbes México and Reforma
