Hurricane Milton Video: External cameras aboard the International Space Station captured the magnitude of Hurricane Milton as it churned across the Gulf early Tuesday, reinforcing warnings about the storm’s potential for catastrophic impact along Florida coast.
“At 10:28 a.m. EDT October 7, the space station flew over Hurricane Milton and external cameras captured views of the category 5 storm, packing winds of 175 miles an hour, moving across the Gulf of Mexico toward the west coast of Florida,” the International Space Station posted on X (formerly Twitter).
At 10:28 a.m. EDT October 7, the space station flew over Hurricane Milton and external cameras captured views of the category 5 storm, packing winds of 175 miles an hour, moving across the Gulf of Mexico toward the west coast of Florida. pic.twitter.com/MTtdUosiEc
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) October 7, 2024
Earlier, NASA and SpaceX postponed the planned launch of the Europa Clipper mission, scheduled for October 10, due to the arrival of Hurricane Milton, a powerful Category 5 storm barreling across the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 175 mph (282 kph). The hurricane is moving toward Florida’s Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall near Tampa, prompting launch teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to secure the spacecraft in SpaceX’s hangar at Launch Complex 39A as they brace for severe weather.
The Europa Clipper mission, a flagship project aimed at investigating Jupiter’s icy moon Europa for signs of life, has a launch window extending to November 6. Once the storm has passed, NASA’s recovery teams will assess the spaceport and launch processing facilities for any damage to determine when it may be safe to resume operations, the space agency said.
Florida Coast On High Alert
Meanwhile, news agency Associated Press reported that Milton intensified over the eastern Gulf early Monday, and its rapid strengthening has placed Florida’s west coast on high alert. The storm’s center is located approximately 700 miles southwest of Tampa as of midday.
The hurricane could bring destructive winds and heavy rains to areas still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Helene just weeks ago.
Hurricane Milton’s anticipated path through the Gulf places the Tampa Bay area directly in its trajectory, a densely populated region that has not seen a direct hurricane hit in over a century.
While forecasters expect some weakening before landfall, Milton is likely to retain enough strength to cause significant disruption as it traverses central Florida toward the Atlantic, potentially sparing other southeastern states already impacted by Helene, the AP report said.
