“Data from both Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that Milton has strengthened to a category 4 hurricane. The maximum sustained winds are estimated to be 150 mph (240 km/h). Milton is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Data from the aircraft also indicate that the minimum pressure has fallen to 940 mb (27.76 inches),” says the National Hurricane Center in an update putting the storm at 735 miles southwest of Tampa.
Well that’s fucking bad given the amount of warm water still in between Florida and the storm’s current position. The earlier update anticipated the strengthening and said by Tuesday night it could weaken a bit from “strong shear and dry air entrainment” but the update seems to suggest the government’s meteorologist eggheads didn’t expect it to ramp up as fast as it has.