Florida braces for another hit

The Gulf of Mexico is too hot |

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Florida is bracing for another supercharged storm. Hurricane Milton, fueled by the extremely warm Gulf of Mexico, is expected to make landfall on Wednesday. Get the full story and track the path of the hurricane on Bloomberg.com. For unlimited access to climate and energy news, please subscribe.

In hot water

By Brian K. Sullivan Hurricane Milton's explosion in strength comes from high-temperature Gulf of Mexico waters that also intensified the deadly Helene less than two weeks ago, contributing to the new storm's odd west-to-east track that threatens Tampa, Florida. "There is really no historical precedent for a track like this," said Ryan Truchelut, president of commercial forecaster WeatherTiger. Though the calendar says October, the water is 86F (30C) in Mexico's Bay of Campeche, where Milton is gathering strength, and nearly that warm off Tampa, according to the National Data Buoy Center. Hurricanes draw power from hotter water, which acts as fuel for storms. Hurricane Milton on Oct. 6. Source: CIRA/RAMMB "The Gulf is still being summer-like with water temperatures," Truchelut said. Gulf waters averaged 78.4F in October 2023, according to the website seatemperature.info. The balmy water has allowed Milton to rapidly intensify as it moves across the Gulf toward Florida's west coast, where it's forecast to make landfall Oct. 9. A storm rapidly intensifies when its winds grow in strength by 35 miles per hour or more in 24 hours. Milton met the definition in 12 hours Sunday, according to US National Hurricane Center records. While the larger weather patterns pushing west to east aren't unusual in October, what is odd is the warm water that is sustaining such a powerful storm on this path. Depending on where along the coast it strikes, Milton has the potential to be the worst hurricane to hit Tampa since 1921. Read the full story on Bloomberg.com.

Hurricane fuel 5F Water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are running as much as this above normal, according to Isaac Longley, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.

So much to lose  "Pretty much 50% of the population lives within miles of the sea, more exposed to hurricanes and with an aging infrastructure that is not set for today's climate." Mari Tye Scientist and civil engineer at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Across the US, natural catastrophes are becoming more expensive and more common. Hurricane Milton has the potential to cause billions of dollars in damage and heap more misery on a state and region still reeling from Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago.

How to prepare for a hurricane

Bloomberg Green has some practical steps you can take to protect your home, family and finances from storms — including how to develop an emergency plan and what you should be stocking up on.  Also, roughly 4% of people in the US have flood insurance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Learn more about it and whether you should be getting a policy now by taking this online quiz. Flood waters after Hurricane Helene passed. Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America More from Green Climate change is not only supercharging storms, but it's also making wildfires much worse.  A growing number of utilities are resorting to an extreme measure to prevent their equipment from sparking catastrophic infernos: turning off the power. Electric companies serving about 24 million homes and businesses across the fire-prone US West now have plans to preemptively cut electricity during dangerous fire conditions, according to an analysis of data compiled by researchers at Stanford University. The proactive blackouts, however, run counter to the power companies' main mission — which is to keep the lights on. And that's angering customers and officials. Workers plan a shutoff at the PG&E Emergency Operations Center in Vacaville, California. Photographer: Rachel Bujalski/Bloomberg Worth a listen What if major economies all just agreed to quit fossil fuels  — together? To date, 13 countries have signed a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty. The biggest is Colombia, which has a $40 billion economic transition plan to build up green sectors and replace oil and gas revenue. Now Colombia is hoping to recruit other large economies to follow suit. During a conversation at Climate Week in New York, Akshat Rathi sat down with Colombia's environment minister, Susana Muhamad, and Brazil's chief climate negotiator, Liliam Chagas, to talk about what it will take for more nations to become leaders on climate change. Listen now, and subscribe on Apple,  Spotify, or YouTube to get new episodes of Zero every Thursday.

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