Here’s what has made Hurricane Milton so fierce and unusual

The roof of Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, appeared to be badly damaged as Hurricane Milton passes Thursday, October 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Picture: Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP

With its mighty strength and its dangerous path, Hurricane Milton powered into a very rare threat flirting with experts’ worst fears.

Warm water fueled amazingly rapid intensification that took Milton from a minimal hurricane to a massive Category 5 in less than 10 hours. It weakened, but quickly bounced back, and when its winds briefly reached 180 mph, its barometric pressure, a key measurement for a storm’s overall strength, was among the lowest recorded in the Gulf of Mexico this late in the year.