 "'Nothing short of astronomical:' Scary hurricane Milton captured from space")
A monstrous Category-5 storm, called Hurricane Milton, is likely to make landfall on Florida's west coast late Wednesday or early Thursday. Its impact might be reduced over a period of time, but it will still be a major hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center reported that Milton was centred about 360 miles (580 kilometres) southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kmh).
According to experts, the Hurricane might directly hit the Tampa Bay area which would be a first for the region in more than a century.
The Milton is expected to bring 10 to 15-foot storm surges across the Florida coast. 3D artists shared a visual representation of a storm surge of up to 15 feet on the western coast of Florida, which was being widely shared and viewed on social media.
Nothing short of astronomical: Nasa astronaut
Nasa astronaut Matthew Dominick shared a video of the advancing storm, captured from the window of the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft from space, showing the storm's size. The spacecraft is currently docked with the International Space Station.
Matthew described the sight as "nothing short of astronomical," as he couldn't find words to describe the storm's intensity and transformation from category 1 to a category 5 hurricane in mere hours.
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The giant storm could be seen moving towards central Florida as a swirling titan of nature, with a giant eye at its centre, which was surrounded by towering clouds, creating a visual spectacle. The social media users were left awestruck with the visuals of the hurricane from the ISS.
Meanwhile, the US President Joe Biden urged residents to take the storm seriously and heed evacuation orders. Biden shared a statement that reads, “If you’re under an evacuation order, you should evacuate now. Now, now, now. You should have already evacuated. It’s a matter of life and death."
John Morales, a Veteran TV meteorologist, warned about Hurricane Helene and stated, “It's just an incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane.”