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All storm pages · 2024 Atlantic season

Hurricane Milton 2024

Category 5 hurricane · Atlantic · October 5 to October 10, 2024

Milton's peak sustained wind of 180 mph is tied for the seventh-highest of the 1,988 storms in the Atlantic record since 1851, and one of 44 Category 5 storms in that record. Its central pressure fell to 895 mb, tied for the fifth-lowest among the 1,277 Atlantic storms with a recorded pressure. Within 24 hours ending October 7, its winds rose by 90 mph (80 knots), the third-largest one-day gain in the Atlantic record. The name Milton is on the National Hurricane Center's list of retired Atlantic hurricane names.

Track of Milton (2024) from the best-track record, coloured by strength20°N25°N30°N95°W90°W85°W80°W75°W70°W65°WOrlandoFlorida, 115 mphPeak 180 mphFirst recordNot tropicalDepressionTropical stormCategory 1Category 2Category 3Category 4Category 500 and 12 UTCLandfall

Strength over time

Maximum sustained wind of Milton (2024) over time, in mphTSCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 504080120160200Oct 5Oct 6Oct 7Oct 8Oct 9Oct 10Oct 11mph
  1. First record (low) 160 miles northeast of Veracruz, Mexico
  2. Tropical storm 150 miles east of Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico
  3. Hurricane 240 miles east-northeast of Tuxpam, Veracruz, Mexico
  4. Major hurricane 165 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico
  5. Peak 85 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico
  6. Landfall Florida
  7. No longer tropical (extratropical low) 210 miles east-northeast of Titusville, Florida
  8. Last record 215 miles south-southwest of Hamilton, Bermuda

Against every Atlantic storm since 1851

Peak sustained wind180 mph · tied 7th of 1,98830 mph190 mph
Lowest central pressure895 mb · tied 5th of 1,277882 mb1016 mb
Accumulated cyclone energy22.6 · 194th of 1,7520.173.6
Days as a tropical or subtropical cyclone5.0 days · tied 880th of 1,9880.0 days31.8 days

More from the record

It came ashore in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on October 10, 2024, with 115 mph winds.

In the 2024 season

04080120160200Milton

Storm 13 of 18 in 2024, hurricane 9 of 11; it formed after Leslie and before Nadine. Milton produced 14% of the season's accumulated cyclone energy. See the season.

Places the center passed

The center came within 50 miles of at least 8 towns or cities of 10,000 people or more while the system was tropical. Distances are to the interpolated track line, not the storm's edge.

PlaceClosestWind thenDate
Sarasota, Florida6 mi115 mphOctober 10
Winter Haven, Florida9 mi90 mphOctober 10
Kissimmee, Florida15 mi80 mphOctober 10
Titusville, Florida16 mi80 mphOctober 10
Melbourne, Florida22 mi80 mphOctober 10
St. Petersburg, Florida24 mi110 mphOctober 10
Orlando, Florida27 mi80 mphOctober 10
Tampa, Florida28 mi105 mphOctober 10

Every storm within 50 miles of Tampa, Florida

Similar landfalls in Florida

Storms whose strongest landfall record in Florida came closest to Milton's 115 mph:

  • Idalia (2023)115 mph, August 30, 2023
  • Opal (1995)115 mph, October 4, 1995
  • Betsy (1965)115 mph, September 8, 1965
  • Storm 2 of 1929115 mph, September 28, 1929

All 229 storms with a landfall record in Florida

Also peaked at 180 mph

Of 3 storms from other Atlantic seasons, the nearest in time: