Milton Whirl

“In a way, Milton is exactly the type of storm that scientists have been warning could happen; Michael Wehner, a climate scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in California, called it shocking but not surprising. “One of the things we know is that, in a warmer world, the most intense storms are more intense,” he told me. Milton might have been a significant hurricane regardless, but every aspect of the storm that could have been dialed up has been.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Milton Is the Hurricane That Scientists Were Dreading.

+ Florida meteorologist John Morales choked up when describing what he was seeing in terms of Milton’s growth. “I apologize, this is just horrific.”) And Tampa Mayor Jane Castor had a pretty stark warning for those in the most dangerous areas who refuse to evacuate: “If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.”

+ Some leaders in the region continue to play politics and culture war games instead of leveling with people and doing their jobs. This, sadly, is not new. Here’s an article from a few months ago: As sea levels rise, DeSantis signs bill deleting climate change mentions from Florida state law. You can’t delete reality.

+ In some places, Helene clean-up and Milton preparation efforts overlap. Here’s the latest from CNN and ABC.