Where is Hurricane Milton heading, and will it affect the UK?

Hurricane Milton is now making its way across the Atlantic Ocean after leaving a path of destruction through Florida.

The National Hurricane Centre described the storm as "extremely dangerous" and a "serious threat" to Floridians, millions of whom were forced to evacuate as the storm tore up homes and brought flash flooding.

With several deaths reported, and the storm since weakening to a category 1 hurricane as it continues on through the Atlantic, ITV News takes a look at what we can expect next.

Where has Hurricane Milton hit?

Milton formed as a tropical depression over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Saturday.

It was deemed a tropical storm within a few hours and "rapidly intensified", which the US National Hurricane Centre defines as a 35 mph increase in wind speed in 24 hours.

By Sunday afternoon, Milton had grown into a category 1 hurricane, with wind speeds peaking on Monday at 180mph – enough for a strong category 5 hurricane.

Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, were around two degrees warmer than average.

“The ocean provides most of the energy to the hurricane. So you’ve got this huge reservoir of heat in the ocean which is available to power this incredibly powerful storm," Professor Simon Josey of the UK’s National Oceanography Centre told ITV News.

Based on wind speed, Milton was the strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Rita in 2005. On pressure, it was the fifth most intense hurricane in the Atlantic basin on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says.

While Mexico was not hit directly by Milton, it was powerful enough to cause flooding and power outages along the Yucatan Peninsula, with a number of residents told to evacuate.

Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida at about 8.30pm local time on Wednesday, with the National Hurricane Centre reporting 120mph winds.

Around 90 minutes later, Milton was centred about 20 miles northeast of Sarasota.

By early Thursday, Milton – weakened, but still dangerous – was moving off Florida’s east coast as a category 1 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.

Where is Milton heading now?

Milton was expected to continue to move away from the Florida peninsula, to the north of The Bahamas.

In a statement, the Caribbean nation's government said that it didn't expect The Bahamas to be affected directly.

However, a tropical storm warning had been issued, with an expectation of wind speeds between 25-45 mph, localised flooding and possible tornadoes.

Milton is expected to weaken to a tropical storm once over the open waters of the Atlantic and transition into an extratropical storm after it passes to the south of Bermuda.

Will the UK be affected?

Milton is expected to weaken to a tropical storm, once over the open waters of the Atlantic, and is likely to become an extratropical storm after it passes to the south of Bermuda, the Met Office says.

"Beyond this, the remnant is likely to either be absorbed into a frontal zone or dissipate in situ in the subtropical Atlantic," the weather service adds.

"If the remnants of Milton end up in the Atlantic as a weakening feature, it could cause some forecast uncertainty next week."

The remnants of another hurricane - Kirk - has been travelling northeast across the Atlantic, bringing floods and damaging buildings across Spain, Portugal and France.

However, Kirk, now downgraded to a storm, is expected to track to the south of the UK, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to northern France.

"Although north and south shifts of the systems track remain possible, the threat of significant impacts to the UK from this system are now much reduced," the Met Office said earlier this week.

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