Cyclones and flooding dominated October and caused significant damage. There were two notable events: Hurricane Milton and the Spanish Floods. Both were deadly, destructive, and affected several areas. Let's dive into how these disasters occurred and their impacts.
Hurricane Milton
On October 4, the National Hurricane Center designated Invest 92L in the Bay of Campeche and the disturbance was named Tropical Storm Milton the next day. The storm initially moved erratically due to weak steering currents before moving relatively eastward across the Gulf of Mexico. On October 6, Milton intensified to a hurricane, the ninth of the season. Overnight, the hurricane underwent explosive intensification due to warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear. Milton peaked at October 8th 12 am UTC as an extremely intense Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 180 mph and a pressure of 897 millibars, and had a pinhole eye. Furthermore, Milton was recorded as having the lowest pressure since Wilma in 2005 and fastest rapid intensification in the Gulf of Mexico in recorded history. Milton later underwent an eyewall replacement cycle and weakened before rebounding to Category 5 intensity. Afterward, Milton weakened due to an increase in wind shear and on October 10, the storm made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida as a Category 3 major hurricane. Milton quickly weakened thereafter and transitioned to a hurricane-force extratropical low.
Milton caused catastrophic damage in Florida, with several reports of hurricane-force winds along western Florida's coast. Venice recorded sustained winds of 92 mph and Marine recorded 83 mph. Wind gusts exceeded 100 mph in Venice and Sarasota. St. Petersburg Albert Whitted Airport measured 18.54 inches of rain, an astonishing amount for Florida. Tampa International Airport recorded 11.43 inches and Daytona Beach Shores recorded 15.8 inches. Not only did Milton cause wind and flood damage, but a tornado outbreak also occurred. The storm caused 46 tornadoes and even an EF3, the first since Agnes in 1972. Also, tornadoes destroyed and flipped over mobile homes in Fort Pierce and Spanish Lakes Community. Unfortunately, Hurricane Milton caused more than 30 fatalities and a shocking total of more than $85 billion in damages.
Spanish Floods
Multiple factors caused the Spanish floods in late October. High altitude cold air and record high temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean resulted in high evaporation levels. Valencia is built on an alluvial plain and lies flat around a riverbed, making the city vulnerable to flooding. Impervious surfaces such as roads hinders the drainage of water and increases the flood risk. In addition, the mountains of Valencia's interior caused humid air to be forced up and rapidly precipitate as heavy rain.
The floods in Valencia unfolded early on October 29. Near 12pm, the ravine in Chiva overflowed and the Magro river burst its banks near Utiel. Around 6:30pm, the Poyo ravine burst its banks and flooded downstream through towns in Horta Sud. Other regions were affected by flooding, including Andalusia and Barcelona. The poor preparation and aforementioned factors resulted in this shocking tragedy. Some areas such as Chiva measured nearly 20 inches of rain. The flooding killed at least 229 people, with 221 in Valencia alone. More than 100,000 cars and nearly 5,000 businesses were damaged. Insurance claims totaled an astonishing 3.5 billion euros.
Conclusion
Hurricane Milton and the Spanish floods caused devastation and fatalities and neither will be easily forgotten for many years to come. An interesting aspect is that climate change influenced Milton and the Spanish floods. Abnormally high sea surface temperatures made Milton's rapid intensification more likely to occur. Milton's rainfall was 20-30% more heavier and winds increased by 10%. For the Spanish floods, record high sea surface temperatures and high levels of water evaporation made rainfall 12% heavier. The warming of the Arctic caused the jet stream to weaken and cold air to move south. The cold air and warm waters along with the recent hot summers making the soil drier resulted in devastating flash flooding. As the intensity of these storms continues to rise, we must increase our preparation with better forecasting and planning such as flood barriers.
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