When you hear a name connected with a major Atlantic storm, it comes from a list originated and recycled every six years by the World Meteorological Organization.
You can view the current lists here.
A name is retired and replaced when a storm with that name causes extreme property damage and loss of life.
Milton is the 13th name on the list for 2024 and is an example of that occasional name replacement.
Jump six years back to 2018, when this year’s list was last used, and Hurricane Michael became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall on the U.S. mainland since Andrew in 1992.
With sustained winds as high as 160 mph, Michael’s destructive capacity was enormous.
Across Central America and into the United States, the storm took the lives of 74 people and caused $25.5 billion in damage.
As a result, the name “Michael” was permanently retired and replaced with “Milton” in 2019 for use during the 2024 hurricane season.
That means you won’t find any data for a previous Hurricane Milton. At least, not a real hurricane. The Hypothetical Hurricanes Wiki will tell you all about a Category 5 Hurricane Milton “that caused widespread damage across its path in October 2024.”
Let’s hope that scenario remains in the realm of fiction.
If this year’s season stretches to include 13 named storms, what will define Tropical Storm Milton as opposed to Hurricane Milton? Wind speed.
All named storms from this list are a form of tropical cyclone — a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation.
Tropical Depression Milton
Early in a cyclone’s development, as a tropical depression, wind speeds are less than 39 mph. Tropical depressions are not given names but are numbered and tracked in case they grow into tropical storms or hurricanes.
Tropical Storm Milton
Should a sufficiently powerful weather system develop late in the season with a sustained wind speed of 39 mph, Tropical Storm Milton will make its debut.
Hurricane Milton
If that speed reaches 74 mph, Hurricane Milton will enter the record books.
If you live in an area where such a storm system is expected, take all necessary precautions, keep up to date on reports of the storm’s path, and don’t underestimate the potential impact to your community.
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When Was Hurricane Milton?
As of yet, there has not been a Hurricane Milton. There may not be one this year either since hurricane seasons sometimes fall several notches below 13 storms.
Where Did Hurricane Milton Hit?
No actual Hurricane Milton has made landfall, but if you look at an aggregate chart of the paths of other named storms, you can get an idea of the general range of such landfalls.
Here’s one example of such a chart.
What Category Was Hurricane Milton?
With no Hurricane Milton on record, there is no category to report. But what does it mean when a category is applied? Again, the answer is based on wind speed.
- • A Category 1 hurricane has sustained wind speeds of at least 74 mph 10 meters above the ground surface when averaged over a 1-minute period.
- • A Category 1 designation holds up through 95 mph.
- • By the time you reach Category 5, those wind speeds are equal or greater than 157 mph. There’s no top limit.
This evaluation system is called the Saffir-Simpson scale, and you can read more about it here.
What Time Will Hurricane Milton Make Landfall?
If you research, “What time did Hurricane Milton make landfall?” you won’t find any data because there has yet to be a Hurricane Milton.
More importantly, there is no correlation between the landfall of a historic hurricane and when a current storm system might reach land.
No data from the past will help you prepare if Milton becomes a significant storm in 2024.
It’s wise to stay up to date on weather forecasts and be aware of a specific storm’s estimated landfall if a current storm is predicted to reach your region. Thanks to satellite and radar imagery, those predictions can be very accurate, giving you plenty of time to prepare.
Don’t make the mistake of waiting until the last minute to reach a safe area.
This article will be updated should more details about Milton become available in 2024.
How Many People Died in Hurricane Milton?
There is no Hurricane Milton on record, but the addition of Milton to this year’s list is a reminder of the 74 people who lost their lives in 2018 to Hurricane Michael.
What Was the Path of Hurricane Milton?
Should Milton develop into a hurricane this year, you’ll find a lot of daily information on its current path. In many cases, the beginning of such a path is in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.
As that system moves west across the Atlantic, often in the general direction of the Caribbean, it can strengthen and organize into a tropical storm and then a hurricane.
Convoy of Hope & Hurricanes
Convoy of Hope is a faith-based nonprofit organization serving the poor and hungry in dozens of program countries around the world.
Because natural disasters have such a deep and negative impact on communities, Convoy views disaster response as integral to its larger mission.
Food, water, and other key resources quickly become scarce following hurricanes and other disasters.
For 26 of those years, Convoy has been serving communities impacted by storms, beginning in 1998 with a response to flooding in Del Rio, Texas, that followed that year’s Tropical Storm Charley.
Hurricanes continue to be an annual priority for the organization.
Convoy of Hope Disaster Services responds to natural disasters around the world — earthquakes, floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and drought — offering help and hope to people facing some of the most challenging circumstances in their lives.
The nonprofit, faith-based organization pursues a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response.
