It is scary scenario when you see the rapid intensification a hurricane this time of the year. Hurricane Milton started as a category one storm and increased to a category five storm in just 18 hours.

Only two other hurricanes in recorded history have done this in less time (Hurricane Maria and Wilma). The latest time-lapse satellite shows how symmetrical Milton has become and the eye of the hurricane clearly visible. Almost like a hole in the atmosphere, the eye allows you to see right down to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center gives us a projection on where the center of Milton could be heading next. This is the so-called forecast cone, but really this should be called the cone of uncertainty because the center of Milton could fall anywhere within that cone. This geographic location of the cone covers a lot of real estate up and down the west coast of Florida. That wide disparity is a result of the uncertainty in the upper level winds and the precise positioning of the jet stream.

This leaves us with a two possible scenarios. First, the jet stream is a little bit weaker across the continental United States and that would allow Hurricane Milton take a track to the north edging it closer to the big bend area of Florida. Second, if the upper level winds are a little bit stronger, Milton may end up a little more south which could push it more towards Fort Myers. 

The consensus right now is a position closer to Tampa Bay, Florida.

In the final analysis, no matter what path Milton eventually takes, this will likely be a devastating impact on the state of Florida. Unfortunately, it will be the population density at the time of landfall that will be one of the most concerning aspect of this storm.