Hurricane Milton is approaching Florida and could be facing potentially catastrophic wind shear that may affect the storm’s intensity. The hurricane is forecast to be dangerous and powerful, with wind speeds and storm surge dependent on the strength of the wind blowing over the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes like Milton work as heat engines by extracting heat from the ocean and releasing it in thunderstorms around the eye. Wind shear can either help or hurt a hurricane, depending on whether it disrupts the heat release, which affects the pressure and intensity of the storm. Low wind shear enabled Milton to rapidly increase in intensity, making it one of the most powerful storms in Gulf of Mexico history. As smaller storms like Milton are more susceptible to weakening quickly, forecasters expect the storm to encounter a less favorable environment with strong wind shear before reaching the Florida Gulf coast. Replacement cycles could also affect the storm’s intensity, potentially making it more resistant to wind shear if it grows larger. Despite the potential impacts, Milton is expected to be a large and powerful hurricane at landfall in Florida, posing life-threatening hazards along the coastline and further inland.
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