Milton became a Category 5 hurricane with the 11 a.m. CDT update from the National Hurricane Center on Monday. The storm continued to intensify afterward, with Hurricane Hunter Aircraft indicating 175 mph maximum sustained winds with the 1 p.m. update. Its intensification rate has only been surpassed by Wilma (2005) and Felix (2007).

Though close to home, this system does not pose a threat to the Capital Area as an approaching cold front will block its path to the bayou.

Hurricane Milton will maintain Category 5 strength on Monday night as it brushes past the northern Yucatan Peninsula. The storm will then take a turn to the northeast late Tuesday. Weakening is forecast to occur on Milton's final approach to Florida. It looks to be too little, too late as Milton will still be a powerful major hurricane when it makes landfall sometime Wednesday.

At this point, Louisiana impacts look very low. A cold front will pass through later today, which will deflect the system to the south and east. However, large swells from the system in addition to elevated winds behind the front could lead to rough seas for offshore areas and even some coastal flooding in the usual locations. Keep checking back with the Storm Station for additional forecasts and alerts.

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