Worst storm in 100 years to hit Tampa Bay Florida pictured from space

The National Weather Service Tampa Bay X account has been firing off continuous warnings of the approaching Hurricane Milton, which is expected to cause a widespread loss of power across the west coast of Florida.

The National Hurricane Service has issued a warning for a Category 5 cyclone as the post states, "Milton Explosively Intensifies with 175-mph Winds" as it begins to approach on the west coast of Florida. Unfortunately, the wind speed increase has meant Milton has reached the top end of the hurricane intensity scale, with the hurricane jumping from Category 1 to Category 5 in just 24 hours due to "extreme rapid intensification". Kathryn Prociv, a meteorologist with NBC news, explained online. "Extreme RI defined as a 58mph+ increase in 24 hours. Milton has gone 90mph."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used weather satellites to capture the below footage of Milton. The footage showcases the increasing size of the storm over such a short duration. Officials estimate Milton will reach landfall on the west coast of Florida, specifically around the Tampa Bay region, on Wednesday. If it does reach landfall at its current speeds, it will be the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years, according to the National Weather Service.