“Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that Milton has strengthened to a category 5 hurricane. The maximum sustained winds are estimated to be 160 mph (250 km/h) with higher gusts. Data from the aircraft also indicate that the minimum pressure has fallen to 925 mb (27.31 inches).”
Milton is expected to move just north of the Yucatan Peninsula on Monday and Tuesday before crossing the eastern Gulf of Mexico and approaching Florida’s west coast by Wednesday or early Thursday.
The forecast suggests Milton will maintain its strength as it moves inland. Areas that were recently battered by Hurricane Helene are bracing for another hurricane hit. However, the current path may spare some southeastern states that suffered significant devastation just days ago from Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Milton has intensified to a Category 4 hurricane. Milton’s winds reached 150 mph early Monday morning. According to the National Hurricane Centre, the storm is expected to make landfall on Florida’s western Gulf Coast, particularly targeting the Tampa Bay area.
Milton is expected to move just north of the Yucatan Peninsula on Monday and Tuesday before crossing the eastern Gulf of Mexico and approaching Florida’s west coast by Wednesday or early Thursday.
The forecast suggests Milton will maintain its strength as it moves inland. Areas that were recently battered by Hurricane Helene are bracing for another hurricane hit. However, the current path may spare some southeastern states that suffered significant devastation just days ago from Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Milton has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. As of 1 p.m. today, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) reported that Milton has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80 mph. Milton is still forecast to intensify into a major hurricane by late Monday.
It is expected to reach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula by midweek.
At the moment, the NHC is monitoring three hurricanes: Hurricane Kirk, located over the central subtropical Atlantic Ocean; Hurricane Leslie, located over the central tropical Atlantic Ocean; and now Hurricane Milton, located over in the Gulf of Mexico.
The National Hurricane Centre’s latest reports have confirmed the formation of former Tropical Depression Fourteen to Tropical Storm Milton.
Milton’s trajectory will be influenced by a cold front next week, steering it towards the Florida Peninsula. The storm has the potential to become strong, with forecasts indicating it could reach Florida as a strong Category 2 hurricane by Wednesday.
Currently, Milton is expected to intensify slowly over the next day. Rapid strengthening is anticipated during the week. Heavy rainfall and life-threatening flood hazards are expected in the Florida Peninsula.
As Hurricane Helene makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center is closely monitoring two other developing systems in the Atlantic.
The first, a broad low-pressure system identified as AL98, is situated near the Cabo Verde Islands and is producing disorganised shower and thunderstorm activity. Conditions are favourable for gradual development, with an estimated 60% formation chance.
The second system, AL99, is a low-pressure area located off Bermuda. This system is currently producing storm-force winds. The formation chance for AL99 is low at 10% in the next 48 hours, with a slight increase to 20% over the following week.
Hurricane Helene has rapidly intensified to a Category 1 hurricane this morning as it makes its way toward the Gulf Coast of Florida. It is projected to strengthen further, potentially reaching Category 3 status when it hits Florida’s Big Bend on Thursday.
As of this morning, Helene was located over the northwestern Caribbean Sea near Cozumel, Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, according to the National Hurricane Centre.
Hurricane warnings are in effect between the Anaclote River and Mexico Beach, while storm surge warnings have been issued for areas including Tampa Bay. Hurricane watches are also in effect for Cuba and parts of Florida, alongside tropical storm warnings for parts of Florida, Cuba, and Mexico.
The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) is closely monitoring several low-pressure systems developing across the Atlantic, with one expected to potentially strengthen in the Caribbean Sea next week.
The NHC indicates that a broad low-pressure system may gradually gain strength in the northwestern Caribbean Sea early next week. While the chance of formation is nearly zero in the next 48 hours, it rises to forty percent over the following week.
In the North Atlantic, an area of low pressure associated with the remnants of Gordon is producing disorganised showers and thunderstorms. The NHC reports that “any additional development of this system is expected to be slow.”
Another low-pressure system located near the northern Leeward Islands has a twenty percent chance of formation in both the next forty-eight hours and the following week.
This weekend, Belize City residents were shocked when they discovered that several streets across the city were flooded with up to four inches of water, despite the lack of rainfall. According to the National Hydrological Service, the floodwaters are making their way down the Belize River and emptying out into the Haulover Creek, subsequently flooding several areas along the path. To address the flooding, the Belize City Council has implemented a pumping station to drain the excess water. Over the past few days, the floodwaters have ebbed and flowed in different areas without warning. Deputy Mayor, Allan Pollard tells us that the flooding is more than just a drainage issue.
Allan Pollard
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor, Belize City
“In most of the areas it has gone down, so that we have, we are very thankful for that. But as the expert have indicated to everyone, it’s really It’s a unique situation where the river is actually coming above normal heights on that mixed with high tide is a recipe for disaster, right? We had a meeting yesterday with the mayor and you know we cannot stress enough how much that we have to sensitize people to understand that climate change is real. It’s here. Everybody talks about, in the future when it comes to climate change, but we are actually living in examples of what. What we’re seeing, I’ve never personally seen the river that high. I’ve never seen streets being that flooded without any rainfall. It just shows that it’s not so much of a drainage issue, but just climate change in general. If you look at the seas, for example, someone sent me a video of the area by Hanga yesterday, and to see the sea level that high as well, it just shows overall what we’re going through is something that is very alarming. And we have to make sure that, We are putting the right measures in. The pumping station is one effort, but that alone cannot drain all the water out of Belize City and that’s a pilot program. We have to look at other areas, and we have to ensure that we are keeping up with the maintenance of the city as well to ensure that the water drains off as quickly as possible.”
A flood warning remains in effect for the Belize City area as floodwaters continue to flow down the Belize River system, posing a risk of rising water levels in the region.
Region 7:
On the Rio Hondo at Blue Creek North, Santa Cruz, San Antonio, and San Roman, normal water levels are expected. However, from Douglas downstream to the coast, above-normal levels will continue. On the New River at Hill Bank, Tower Hill, and Caledonia, above-normal levels are anticipated.
Region 9:
On the Mopan River at Benque Viejo Town, water levels are expected to remain at the bankfull stage. On the Macal River, reservoir levels at all FORTIS facilities will remain below the spillway, and at San Ignacio, above-normal levels will stay below the low-level bridge. On the Belize River at Double Run, above-normal levels will persist. At Crooked Tree Lagoon, increasing levels are expected but will remain below the causeway.
Region 11:
On the Sibun River at Freetown Sibun, normal water levels are expected. At the Southern Lagoon near Gales Point Village, above-normal levels are forecast. Watersheds on the Eastern Slopes of the Maya Mountains will see above-normal levels, and at Kendal Bridge on the Sittee River, the same trend is expected. On the Swasey and Bladen branches of the Monkey River, below-normal levels are anticipated, while the Deep River at Medina Bank will see normal levels. The Rio Grande at San Pedro Columbia and Big Falls South will experience below-normal levels, as will the Moho River at Jordan. Meanwhile, normal levels are forecasted for the Moho River at Blue Creek South and the Temash River at Crique Sarco.
Region 13:
On the Sarstoon River, normal levels are expected.
Residents in low-lying areas of Belize City are advised to remain vigilant as floodwaters continue to move down the Belize River.
Belize City was under water for the most part of the morning. After a heavy, early morning downpour brought on by a tropical wave, numerous streets were inundated by floodwaters. Classes had not been called off, and so students made their way to school. That is until institutions across the country began sending kids home due to the weather. Floodwater was a major inconvenience to pedestrians and low vehicles alike, but most people pressed on. The Belize City Pumping Station was activated and according to the experts, it helped to decrease floodwaters along key streets in downtown Belize City. News Five’s Paul Lopez went out early this morning. Here is what he found.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
A few hours of downpour on Friday morning led to flooding across Belize City. Vehicles and pedestrians alike had to traverse through several inches of water along main thoroughfares. One woman was seen cautiously stepping off the sidewalk and unto the street with water above her ankles on Mahogany Street. The downpour and flood led many schools to call off classes for the day and send students home.
Darwin Retreage
Darwin Retreage, Belize City Resident
“You guh round and tek a circle around there, you will see a lot of people downstairs, a lot of people yard flood out. We yard flood out, it flood.”
Paul Lopez
“What you think happens if the rain continues like this?”
Darwin Retreage
“Well if it continues people downstairs house flood out. Deh wah have to deal with people appliance and carpet and so.”
Kerry Sandoval
Kerry Sandoval, Belize City Resident
“Cho everywhere flood boss, everywhere. Watch how high the water, right now my yard flood. You cant even walk. Flooded bad, watch yah when I walk this morning I the look to slip down because the yard flood.”
In response to the floods, Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner left his office and hit the streets to assess the situation firsthand. We met him at the Yabra Pumping Station. The station came on line in October 2023 to mitigate flooding in the Old Capital.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“Obviously as you can see here, the four screws are working efficiently. Really putting out like one cubic meter per screw. So, we are looking at four cubic meter per second of water being pulled. As we sit, based on the engineers, this is just taking off the top of the water currently. We have not locked off the gates as yet, because water is being pushed out in its natural form in different areas of the city.”
Ramon Menjivar, the Assistant City Engineer, further explained that the pumping station should reduce the floodwater’s runoff time by fifty percent.
Ramon Menjivar
Ramon Menjivar, Assistant City Engineer, Belize City Council
“The system allows us to activate the pumps and get the water much faster, not necessarily much faster than what is dropping, because you have to compare the rainfall dropping on a land mass, as compared to the facility of the pumping action.”
Paul Lopez
“What should be people’s expectations in terms of how fast the water should run off, compared to not having the turbines in place?”
Ramon Menjivar
“I would say about fifty percent right now, so if we expect the water to run off in six hours, we could have the water with the pumps activated, two to three hours.”
In the immediate area of the pumping station, residents were complaining that floodwater inundated their properties like never before. They questioned the effectiveness of the pumping station, while pointing out an accumulation of garbage in the canal.
Darwin Retreage
“We never does have this problem from when this mih build. Before this build water does run off quick. Less than half an hour. Since this build, this dah wah problem for this community around here. You go around and take a circle; you see a lot of flood people the flood out. You take a picture over there you will see how the garbage pile up, when this the stir up people the tek lick with the mud scent.”
Bernard Wagner
“Flooding is everywhere globally. If you look at Miami, our people need to appreciate that climate change is here and they have to play their role in keeping their yards clean of shrubs, ensuring the drain in front of their yards are clean. It is not just a city council task to take on drainage in front of residents. You should have that civic pride to take pride in your property to ensure that you aid in alleviating flooding in your neck of the woods. We will do our best, but you always require participation by the residents. This is not a one person activity. It requires participation, collaboration, everyone on board. It is not only Belize City, flooding occurs globally, all across the world.”
