Tropical Storm Milton Strengthens To Category 1 Hurricane, Threatens Mexico’s Gulf Coast

Tropical Storm Milton has intensified into a Category 1 hurricane while navigating the Gulf of Mexico, though it is not expected to make landfall. However, significant rainfall is anticipated along Mexico’s Gulf Coast and southeast regions.

The National Water Commission (Conagua) issued a weather alert on Sunday, warning that Milton’s passage could bring heavy to intense rainfall and thunderstorms across the northeast, east, south, and southeast parts of the country, including the Yucatan Peninsula.

According to Xinhua news agency, the storm is also projected to generate strong winds and high waves along the Gulf Coast.

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As of noon Sunday, the storm’s eye was situated approximately 355 kilometers northeast of Cabo Rojo in Veracruz and 465 kilometers northwest of Puerto Progreso in the Yucatan Peninsula. Milton boasts maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour, with gusts reaching up to 155 kilometers per hour, and is moving eastward at a speed of 9 kilometers per hour.

Milton follows closely behind Hurricane John, which impacted Mexico’s Pacific Coast, particularly the southern state of Guerrero, on September 23, resulting in significant material damage.

In May, Conagua forecasted the formation of up to 41 named cyclones in the Atlantic and Pacific during the 2024 hurricane season, with at least five predicted to make landfall in Mexico.