What is rapid intensification? It is how Milton gained Category 5 strength in less than 24 hours

(Gray News) - In less than 24 hours, Hurricane Milton went from barely hurricane strength into a Category 5 hurricane.

Milton, now a Category 4 as of Tuesday morning, became one of the most rapidly intensifying storms on record.

It is expected to make landfall in Florida as a major hurricane and has prompted evacuations.

How did Milton gain strength so quickly? The answer is rapid intensification.

Rapid intensification is defined by the National Hurricane Center as an increase in the maximum sustained winds of a tropical cyclone of at least 30 knots, about 35 mph, in 24 hours.

Between 1 p.m. Sunday and 1 p.m. Monday, Milton’s wind speed went from 80 mph to 175 mph and its pressure dropped. Most of that intensification happened over just 12 hours, according to the Associated Press.

Rapid intensification is difficult to forecast and predict but is caused by warm oceans, low wind shear, lower salinity and intense thunderstorms within a tropical cyclone.

In a 2023 study that investigated connections between rapid intensification and climate change, researchers found an increase in the number of tropical cyclones experiencing rapid intensification over the last 40 years.

The amount of tropical cyclones that will rapidly intensify is expected to increase in the future, which is “concerning” and may lead to escalated damages and difficulties when communicating the danger to residents who may be in the storm’s path, according to the study.

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