Hurricane Milton rapidly developed in the Bay of Campeche, becoming one of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes on record. Originating from a broad area of thunderstorms linked to the Central American gyre, Milton intensified from a tropical depression to a Category 5 hurricane in just over 48 hours. This remarkable intensification and its subsequent journey across the Gulf of Mexico were closely monitored by NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, providing critical insights into the storm’s structure and behavior.
Milton’s formation was influenced by the Central American gyre, a seasonal low-pressure system that spans from the western Caribbean to the southern Gulf of Mexico. In early October 2024, disorganized thunderstorm activity within this gyre began to consolidate in the Bay of Campeche. By October 5th, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) declared it a tropical depression, and shortly after, Tropical Storm Milton was formed, about 225 miles north-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico.
The storm initially drifted slowly, allowing it to organize and strengthen. By the morning of October 6th, Milton became a strong tropical storm, and by afternoon, it reached hurricane status with 80 mph winds. As Milton moved westward towards Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the NASA/JAXA GPM Core Observatory captured its initial structure.
Data from NASA’s IMERG precipitation product, observed on October 6th, revealed Milton’s transition from an asymmetric system to a more compact hurricane with concentrated heavy rainfall near its center. A subsequent GPM Core Observatory flyover on October 7th provided a detailed look at the storm’s precipitation. Heavy to intense rain wrapped into the storm’s northeast, while the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) identified intense rain in the northern eyewall. The DPR also highlighted Milton’s compact center and tall thunderstorm towers exceeding 10 km in the northern eyewall, indicative of further strengthening.
Despite being a Category 1 hurricane during the GPM overpass with 90 mph winds, Milton was on the verge of rapid intensification. In an unprecedented period, its winds surged to 175 mph within approximately 11 hours, reaching Category 5 status. Milton peaked at 180 mph winds, ranking it among the most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded by central pressure.
The GPM Core Observatory observed Milton again on October 8th as it passed north of the Yucatan Peninsula. Even without passing directly over the center, GPM data showed a symmetrical rain field with intense rainfall in all quadrants, reflecting the storm’s powerful circulation and sustained intensity. At this point, Milton was a high-end Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph winds.
Milton underwent an eyewall replacement cycle, a process where a new outer eyewall weakens the inner one, temporarily reducing storm intensity. After this cycle, Milton re-intensified, regaining Category 5 status. A third GPM overpass on October 8th, as Milton entered the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, confirmed intense rain and tall thunderstorm towers, consistent with a strong and intensifying cyclone. Milton’s winds recovered to 165 mph, with a central pressure of 902 mb.
Maintaining Category 5 intensity into October 9th, Milton eventually encountered wind shear and began to weaken and accelerate towards Florida. Even before landfall, Milton spawned tornadoes across the Florida peninsula. A final GPM overpass on October 9th showed extensive heavy rainfall and intense outer rainbands over Florida, where numerous supercell thunderstorms triggered a record-breaking 126 tornado warnings in a single day. Hurricane Milton made landfall at Siesta Key, Florida, on October 9th as a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds.
In summary, Hurricane Milton was a powerful and rapidly intensifying storm that originated in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico, and impacted both Mexico and the Gulf Coast of the United States. Data from NASA’s GPM mission provided invaluable insights into Milton’s intensification, structure, and precipitation patterns throughout its life cycle, highlighting the crucial role of space-based observations in understanding and monitoring these extreme weather events.
Credits:
Visualizations by Alex Kekesi (NASA GSFC / GST) and the NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio using GPM data.
Story by Steve Lang (NASA GSFC / SSAI) with edits by George Huffman (NASA GSFC) and Jacob Reed (NASA GSFC / Telophase)
