Miami firefighters are gearing up on Wednesday to deploy ahead of an impending Category 5 hurricane, preparing to bring life-saving measures both locally and to areas hardest hit by the storm.

Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane on Monday morning at a rate rarely seen and is on course to strike west-central Florida as one of the most impactful U.S. hurricanes in modern memory.

Hurricane Milton has intensified into a dangerous Category 5 storm as it churns across the Gulf of Mexico, with maximum sustained winds nearing 155 mph.

We hit the ground running this hurricane season earlier than usual – with the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record and already two U.S. hurricane landfalls and one direct hurricane strike on Bermuda. Even if no other tropical systems form in the Atlantic for the next two weeks, we’ll still be running ahead of schedule for the year.

Tropical Storm Debby came ashore in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane and quickly downgraded, but the storm still poses serious threats as it slogs on toward Georgia and South Carolina.

After an over 5,000-mile journey through the Atlantic, the disturbance we began discussing in this newsletter 14 days ago, before it even rolled off Africa, which grew into the strongest June hurricane and earliest Category 5 on record, made its final landing near Matagorda, about 90 miles southwest of Galveston, on the middle Texas coast as an 80 mph Category 1 hurricane before daybreak Monday.

After striking the small island of Carriacou at the entrance of the eastern Caribbean as a 150 mph Category 4 hurricane on Monday, Beryl continued to intensify through the overnight hours, becoming a 165 mph Category 5 hurricane by early Tuesday.

Hurricane Beryl continues its track Tuesday across the central Caribbean Sea and is expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica on Wednesday.

Hurricane Beryl has strengthened to Category 5 status as it crosses islands in the southeastern Caribbean.

When Dr. Robert Simpson boarded a military helicopter from Miami on Aug. 19, 1969, bound for the central Gulf Coast, little could prepare him for the horrors he would witness as the first National Hurricane Center director to survey the immediate aftermath of a hurricane.

The Mexican government has sent 25,000 troops to Acapulco after the resort was hit by Hurricane Otis on Oct. 25.

Today marks the official end of the 2023 hurricane season, an active year with over half the season occupied by named storms – the fifth highest coverage in 50 years – but with just one U.S. hurricane landfall and two U.S. landfalling tropical storms.

Desperate families are making missing posters and joining online groups to find loved ones out of touch since Hurricane Otis devastated the Mexican Pacific coast city of Acapulco.

Only 24 hours before it hit, Tropical Storm Otis was forecast to come ashore along Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 1 hurricane. Instead, the storm rapidly strengthened 110 mph in 24 hours – a rate exceeded only once (Hurricane Patricia in 2015) by any observed Pacific or Atlantic hurricane – striking near Acapulco around 2:25 AM ET Wednesday as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane with estimated winds of 165 mph, the strongest hurricane on record to hit Mexico from the Pacific side.

It’s been a soap opera for Hurricane Lee. After rapidly strengthening to a Category 5 Thursday night at an historic pace – a blistering 85 mph increase in maximum winds in 24 hours (tied for the third fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricane) – Lee hit a wall over the weekend, rapidly weakening back down to a Category 2 by Saturday evening.

Hurricane Lee is whipping up waves of more than 15 feet as the Category 3 storm cranks through open waters just north of the Caribbean region.

Experts say that Hurricane Lee is rewriting old rules of meteorology.

Category 5 Hurricane Lee -- the most intense of the 2023 Atlantic basin hurricane season so far -- is powering forward, moving west-northwestward on a track that keeps it away from the Caribbean islands.

August in the Atlantic can be a dangerous place for deadly and destructive hurricanes. Names like Andrew (1992), Katrina (2005), Camille (1969), Allen (1980), Charley (2004), Harvey (2017), Ida (2021), Laura (2020), Alicia (1983), and David (1979) all have their origins in August.

Meteorologists say Tropical Cyclone Ilsa is forecast to be the most powerful storm to hit Australia in eight years, bringing wind gusts of up to 196 miles per hour as it crosses the northwest coast.

With Hurricane Ian drawing closer to a Category 5 storm. President Joe Biden detailed his administration’s efforts to prepare for the storm and warned residents to heed warnings from officials.

Several streets, neighborhoods and local businesses in Cooper City sustained extensive damage Tuesday night, and the damage is continuing Wednesday as Hurricane Ian draws closer to a Category 5 storm.

Hurricane Ian is currently hitting the Gulf Coast of Florida after strengthening to a Category 4 storm before making landfall, possibly near Port Charlotte.

There are many ways to categorize a hurricane. The storm’s central pressure is one way. The height of its storm surge is another. How much rain it drops is another. And, of course, the strength of its wind is another. But what causes a hurricane to strengthen or weaken? The answer is simple enough, but multifaceted.

Rev. Matthew Gomez has been praying for the teenage girl who died after a recent boat crash in the Florida Keys. He spoke to students and teachers during a service on Friday afternoon in Miami-Dade County.

Join Bryan Norcross and Luke Dorris for an in-depth conversation about the epic story of the cruising ship Fantome that was lost in Category 5 Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Prolific author Jim Carrier talks about the twists and turns in the saga that led to a huge passenger ship being trapped in the western Caribbean.

ISLA DE LA PROVIDENCIA, Colombia – Thousands of homeless Colombians are trying to find their way out of a remote hurricane-ravaged island off the coast of Nicaragua. Eight days ago, Category 5 Hurricane Iota destroyed Providencia, a mountainous Colombian island in the Caribbean. Colombian authorities set up a temporary hospital with limited resources on the island of some 5,000 residents. The Colombian government released this picture of Providencia, Colombia after Hurricane Iota on Nov. 17, 2020. Colombian President Ivan Duque promised humanitarian aid and tasked a Colombian Navy team to assist with the Herculean task of rebuilding the island.

MIAMI, Fla. – Hurricane Iota is forecast to hit Honduras as a Category 5 storm and is expected to be devastating. Throughout Florida, necessary items are being gathered to help those who will be affected after the storm. At the Global Empowerment Mission in Miami, they are working around the clock to fill trailers, then send them out. Martha Hernandez, who is spearheading donation drive Amor Y Fuerza Honduras in Doral, has family in Honduras. Where to DonateGEM warehouse, 1148 Northwest 72nd St., Miami, (800) 995-7604.

Hurricane Iota is on the cusp Category 5 strength as it is on final approach to landfall on the coast of Nicaragua near the Honduras border this evening. That was November 6, 1932, as the storm was heading for the Cayman Islands and the southern coast of Cuba. Eta was a Category 4 at landfall, and Iota is forecast to come in near or at Category 5 strength. Imagine reeling from a Category 4 hurricane to get the news that another stronger storm was coming 2 weeks later. In the National Hurricane Center graphic, you can see the yellow area just below the hurricane symbol representing Iota.

Stunningly strong Hurricane Eta is pounding on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. Hurricane Eta is one of the strongest storms ever recorded in November – the strongest being a tremendously destructive Category 5 that hit central and eastern Cuba in 1932. By later today, Eta’s winds will be winding down significantly as the system tracks over Nicaragua and toward Honduras. By the end of the week, the remnants of Eta are forecast to move back over the Caribbean. We have to see what happens late in the week after Eta, or whatever’s left of it, emerges or reforms over the Caribbean.

Clouds gather over Playa Gaviota Azul as Tropical Storm Zeta approaches Cancun, Mexico, early Monday morning, Oct. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia)MIAMI – Hurricane Zeta lashed Mexico's Caribbean coast resorts around Tulum with high winds and rain Monday night as it headed toward the Yucatan Peninsula and then a possible landfall on the central U.S. Gulf Coast at midweek. It was the second time this month that boat captain Francisco Sosa Rosado had to perform the same maneuver, after Hurricane Delta hit the resort in early October. Trees felled by Hurricane Delta barely three weeks earlier still littered parts of Cancun, stacked along roadsides and in parks. There was also a Tropical Storm Zeta in 2005, but that year had 28 storms because meteorologists later went back and found they missed one, which then became an “unnamed named storm."

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Bahamians are marking the anniversary of a historic tragedy on Tuesday while dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The devastating Category 5 Hurricane Dorian first made landfall Sept. 1, 2019 on the Abaco Islands and made a second landfall near Marsh Harbour. “I mean, I was pregnant; I was five months pregnant.”The massive flooding forced some to seek refuge in attics and cut holes in roofs. By Sept. 12, 2019, officials reported 1,300 people had vanished. Months later, Bahamas’ official death toll was 70, but it’s unclear how many people really died because there are still 200 people who are still considered missing.

Hurricane Lorenzo is setting records for intensity in the northeastern Atlantic. HURRICANE LORENZO peaked at an incredible 160 mph, Category 5 yesterday in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean. The track that the atmosphere offered to the north happened to be over unusually warm water for that part of the ocean. So the combination of a strong circulation, ideal atmospherics, and very warm ocean waters created the superstrong hurricane. There has been a trend, in general, for unusually warm water to be farther north during hurricane season, which is contributing to stronger hurricanes at higher latitudes.

Hurricane Lorenzo is setting records for intensity in the northeastern Atlantic. HURRICANE LORENZO peaked at an incredible 160 mph, Category 5 yesterday in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean. The track that the atmosphere offered to the north happened to be over unusually warm water for that part of the ocean. So the combination of a strong circulation, ideal atmospherics, and very warm ocean waters created the superstrong hurricane. There has been a trend, in general, for unusually warm water to be farther north during hurricane season, which is contributing to stronger hurricanes at higher latitudes.

Royal Bahamas Defense Force officers examine maps before departing for devastated Abaco Island on Sept. 4, 2019, in Nassau, the Bahamas. A massive rescue effort is underway after Hurricane Dorian spent more than a day parked over the Bahamas, killing at least seven as entire communities were flattened, roads washed out and hospitals and airports swamped by several feet of water, according to published reports. Hide Caption

NOAA's forecast for the path of Hurricane Dorian as of Monday, September 2 at 4 a.m. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Hurricane Dorian has killed five people in the Abaco Islands, Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said Monday. The storm wiped out power to Nassau and the rest of New Providence, the country's most populous island, Bahamas Power and Light said. "It's just an absolutely devastating, life-threatening situation," said Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. How Dorian could pummel the USAfter Dorian leaves the Bahamas, it threatens to turn its destructive force on the US Southeast.

Hurricane Dorian is causing catastrophic damage in the Bahamas due to its extreme strength and size. As a fierce Category 5 hurricane, it is one of only four hurricanes on the record at this kind of... Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

Incredible Category 5 Hurricane Dorian is causing catastrophic damage in the Bahamas due to its extreme strength. Dorian will come close enough to Broward, that in an abundance of safety, the National Hurricane Center is alerting us of the possibility. Hurricane Dorian will track very near or offshore of the Central and North Florida coastline. A prolonged period of catastrophic winds and storm surge will affect the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island tonight. Life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the Florida east coast through mid-week, and storm surge and hurricane warnings are in effect.

Incredible Category 5 Hurricane Dorian is causing catastrophic damage in the Bahamas due to its extreme strength. They will have a Hurricane Andrew South Dade experience but with the wind blowing for two days. Dorian will come close enough to Broward County, that out an abundance of caution, the National Hurricane Center is alerting us of the possibility of 40 mph winds. Hurricane Dorian will track very near or offshore the Central and North Florida coastline. Life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the Florida east coast through mid-week, and storm surge and hurricane warnings are in effect.

MARSH HARBOUR, Bahamas - Conditions gradually worsened in the Bahamas on Sunday morning as the islands began to feel the brunt of Hurricane Dorian. Strong winds and driving rain have been pounding the Bahamas as the powerful Category 5 storm begins to move across the region. The eye of Hurricane Dorian is expected to begin moving through the Bahamas around noon. "We cannot stress the amount of devastation and catastrophic impact that Hurricane Dorian is expected to bring," said Shavonne Moxey-Bonamy, the Bahamas chief meteorologist. Authorities closed airports for The Abaco Islands, Grand Bahama and Bimini, but Lynden Pindling International Airport in the capital of Nassau remained open.

BAHAMAS - Hurricane Dorian's almost 185-mph sustained winds brought "catastrophic conditions" to the Abaco Islands, the National Hurricane Center said, and forecasters predict the Category 5 storm will remain over the northern Bahamas into Monday. With gusts over 220 mph, Dorian has become "the strongest hurricane in modern records for the northwestern Bahamas," the center said. Once the storm finishes deluging the Bahamas it is expected to head toward Florida, where mandatory evacuations have already begun. The northwestern Bahamas are under a hurricane warning, which means "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," the hurricane center said. Conditions are expected to grow only worse as Dorian stalls over the Bahamas, forecasters say.

PLANTATION, Fla. - Officials in Broward County are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Dorian as the powerful Category 5 storm continues moving toward Florida's east coast. At the Broward Emergency Operations Center in Plantation, workers are busy checking on the status of shelters and doing other final preparations to ensure that the county is as ready as it can be for whatever the storm may bring. Sunday morning, Local 10's Christina Boomer Vazquez was at the facility as a policy meeting was underway, with officials speaking to the National Hurricane Center to evaluate the possibilities of additional watches or warnings and even potential evacuations. Updated information is expected from Broward County officials sometime Sunday afternoon. Plans are already underway for post-storm activity, such as the Traffic Engineering Department going out to assess any damage to traffic signals.

Officials in Broward County are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Dorian as the powerful Category 5 storm continues moving towards Florida's east coast. Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

PLANTATION, Fla. - Officials in Broward County are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Dorian as the powerful Category 5 storm continues moving toward Florida's east coast. At the Broward Emergency Operations Center in Plantation, workers are busy checking on the status of shelters and doing other final preparations to ensure that the county is as ready as it can be for whatever the storm may bring. Sunday morning, Local 10's Christina Boomer Vazquez was at the facility as a policy meeting was underway, with officials speaking to the National Hurricane Center to evaluate the possibilities of additional watches or warnings and even potential evacuations. Updated information is expected from Broward County officials sometime Sunday afternoon. Plans are already underway for post-storm activity, such as the Traffic Engineering Department going out to assess any damage to traffic signals.

Hurricane Dorian is a "now catastrophic" Category 5 storm, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday morning. A tropical storm warning is now in effect from Deerfield Beach to Sebastian Inlet ahead of Hurricane Dorian, while a tropical storm watch is now in effect for Broward County. As of the 10 a.m. Dorian strengthened to a Category 5 storm with winds at 175 mph and moving west at 8 mph. Hurricane Dorian will track directly over Great Abaco and Grand Bahama Island in the northwestern Bahamas. The tropical storm watch issued for Broward County means that winds over 40 mph are possible.

Simply known as the Labor Day Storm, the 1935 hurricane was the strongest Atlantic hurricane to ever make landfall and the first designated Category 5 hurricane to ever touch the United States. The storm hit the Florida Keys on September 2KEY WEST, Fla. - We don't know yet what will happen as Hurricane Dorian approaches Florida's east coast this weekend, but its timing coincides with another Labor Day hurricane that rocked south Florida in 1935. Simply known as the Labor Day Storm, the 1935 hurricane was the strongest Atlantic hurricane to ever make landfall and the first designated Category 5 hurricane to ever touch the United States. The storm hit the Florida Keys on September 2 with peak winds of 200 mph. Dorian is expected to strengthen to at least a Category 1 storm over Labor Day weekend and could possibly reach Category 3 strength before all is said and done.

This along with unfavorable upper winds over much of the area will prevent development of the tropical disturbances that are moving off of Africa through this week, at least. On average, tropical activity ramps up significantly beginning on about August 15th which is this Thursday. About 90% of strong hurricanes Cat 3 and above form between August 15th and October 15th. Fifty years ago in 1969, the hurricane season started late, and ended up being quite busy with 12 hurricanes. Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

This along with unfavorable upper winds over much of the area will prevent development of the tropical disturbances that are moving off of Africa through this week, at least. On average, tropical activity ramps up significantly beginning on about August 15th which is this Thursday. About 90% of strong hurricanes Cat 3 and above form between August 15th and October 15th. Fifty years ago in 1969, the hurricane season started late, and ended up being quite busy with 12 hurricanes. Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

This along with unfavorable upper winds over much of the area will prevent development of the tropical disturbances that are moving off of Africa through this week, at least. On average, tropical activity ramps up significantly beginning on about August 15th which is this Thursday. About 90% of strong hurricanes Cat 3 and above form between August 15th and October 15th. Fifty years ago in 1969, the hurricane season started late, and ended up being quite busy with 12 hurricanes. Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

Search and rescue team members search for victims of Hurricane Michael on Oct. 13, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Florida. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Insurance companies have yet to pay about 15 percent of claims made from Hurricane Michael in the Florida Panhandle. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet last week that insurers have yet pay out more than 21,000 claims from last Octobers Category 5 storm. Office of Insurance Regulation Commissioner David Altmaier says the figure is discouraging. The Tampa Bay Times reports that the law requires insurance companies to pay claims within 90 days of being filed, provided the claims are not contested.

It is a movie based on Florida's biggest fears: A Category 5 hurricane and massive gators. The new Paramount Pictures movie "Crawl" takes place in a Florida town and depicts a fictional hurricane that brings out hungry alligators that will feast on those who did not evacuate. Here is the movie description:"When a massive hurricane hits her Florida town, young Haley ignores the evacuation orders to search for her missing father, Dave. After finding him gravely injured in their family home, the two of them become trapped by the rapidly encroaching floodwaters. With the storm strengthening, Haley and Dave discover an even greater threat than the rising water level -- a relentless attack from a pack of gigantic alligators."