A state of emergency has been imposed in several dozen counties of Florida. Local media reported that entire districts were deserted. A fifth of gas stations were left without fuel due to excessive demand, NTV reports.

Meanwhile, Milton has already become an out-of-category hurricane. According to the current classification, the fifth - highest - corresponds to a wind speed of up to 70 meters per second, and at Milton it already reached 80. This is comparable to the speed of a racing car - almost 290 kilometers per hour.

According to forecasts, the hurricane will be much more destructive than "Helen", which hit Florida last month. Scientists are considering adding a sixth hazard class and assigning it to Milton.

According to forecasts, the city of Tampa will take the first blow in the evening. How all this will look on earth is calculated on graphical models. The level of flooding can reach up to five meters, only the tops of the power transmission poles will remain above the water.

The scale of the disaster that is about to hit Florida is clearly visible from space. A huge funnel that swirls over the entire west coast of the state was removed from the ISS. Due to the hurricane, the work schedule at the NASA Space Center in Florida has also changed. They have limited the number of employees there - only critical personnel are in the workplace.