Meteorologist’s tearful warning of ‘catastrophic’ hurricane Milton exposed.
In a moment that quickly went viral, meteorologist John Morales could barely hold back tears.
John Morales and his long career in hurricane reporting highlighted.
For many, Morales is a trusted figure in Florida’s hurricane updates, having worked with NBC’s WTVJ since 2009.
But this time, the gravity of the situation overwhelmed him.
Meteorologist chokes up live over hurricane Milton.
On October 7, Morales delivered an emotional weather update on the terrifying strength of Hurricane Milton.
The Category 5 storm, which rapidly intensified, left even seasoned weather experts in shock.
Morales, a veteran meteorologist, apologized mid-broadcast, his voice cracking as he described the hurricane’s staggering power.
“It dropped 50 millibars in 10 hours,” he said, visibly shaken.
Milton’s terrifying surge explained.
For those unfamiliar with the technical terms, this drop indicated a sudden and extreme intensification of the storm.
Hurricane Milton had gone from an average tropical storm to a monster hurricane in just over 24 hours.
Its winds were now sustaining speeds of 160 mph, tearing across the Gulf of Mexico.
Meteorologist links hurricane Milton to climate change.
It was a record-breaking moment, with Morales directly linking it to one thing: climate change.
“The seas are just so incredibly hot,” he continued, blaming global warming for the storm’s explosive growth.
With climate change causing more frequent and severe hurricanes, experts like Morales have been sounding the alarm for years.
And this storm was shaping up to be one of the worst.
In recent decades, the frequency of storms like Milton has surged.
Scientists have linked this directly to warming oceans, which act as fuel for hurricanes, increasing both their speed and destructiveness.
Meteorologist explains emotional broadcast.
“It’s empathy,” he later told People. “These hurricanes wreck lives and take lives.”
Morales, who spent much of his career advocating for climate action, shared how frustrating it was to witness such devastation unfold.
For residents in Milton’s path, the forecast was grim.
As the hurricane barreled towards Florida, Morales warned of massive storm surges, potentially reaching up to 12 feet.
Even though the storm was expected to weaken slightly before landfall, it would still arrive as a major, life-threatening event.
Where it hit, he emphasized, would make all the difference.
Clear warnings issued to residents in evacuation zones.
For those living in evacuation zones, the message was clear: staying would be fatal.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor echoed this on CNN, issuing a stark warning to residents: “If you stay, you are going to die.”
It was not the first time a mayor or meteorologist had urged caution, but with Milton, the stakes were even higher.
Milton could become one of Florida’s costliest disasters ever.
The storm had the potential to become one of the most expensive disasters in Florida’s history.
Already, comparisons were being made to Hurricane Helene, which left entire towns destroyed just a few years earlier.
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale ranked Milton at its highest level—Category 5.
With winds exceeding 157 mph, the storm promised catastrophic damage wherever it made landfall.
The only thing left was to see where exactly it would hit, but for now, all eyes were on Florida’s coast.
For Morales, the terrifying truth of what was unfolding was impossible to ignore.