Florida prepares for Hurricane Milton

People have been protecting their homes and businesses by boarding up the windows, so they don't smash in the storm

People in Florida, in the US, are currently preparing for a big hurricane, which has been named Hurricane Milton.

It's expected to have very fast winds, and to cause dangerous storm surges along the coast.

This is when the sea level rises unusually high, with dangerous tides, because of bad weather.

Lots of people are getting ready to leave their homes to stay safe.

The National Hurricane Center has described Milton as an "extremely powerful storm" which poses an "extremely serious threat to Florida".

How are hurricanes formed?

A hurricane is a tropical storm that forms over the North Atlantic Ocean and the Northeast Pacific.

They are also known as cyclones or typhoons in other parts of the world, collectively these storms are referred to as "tropical cyclones".

When the sea is warm, is causes air to rise quickly above it. This air then cools down again after rising, and drops, as more warm air rises beneath it. This creates a cycle with strong winds and heavy rain.

The strong winds can make huge waves over the sea and can damage buildings and roads on land.

Hurricanes are quite common in Florida, because of how close it is to areas of the sea.

Tropical storms all over the world are becoming bigger and more intense because of climate change.

Why is Hurricane Milton so dangerous?

The area is only just recovering from Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread damage in Florida and other nearby states

Hurricane Milton is a category four storm which is expected to reach the coast of Florida on Wednesday.

The category system is used to rate how dangerous storms are going to be. It goes from one up to five.

Hurricane Milton also comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene, which caused a lot of damage to homes in Florida.

How do people protect themselves against hurricanes?

People sometimes make sure they have an emergency supply of food and water in case they can't get out the house, or for if their water supply is shut off during the storm

Places that are affected by hurricanes often have action plans to help communities prepare for them.

However, in some poorer communities, there are fewer resources and hurricanes can have a much bigger impact on people's lives.

In Florida, people are currently collecting sandbags, to prevent flooding in their homes. People may also evacuate their homes - which means they leave where they live to escape a dangerous situation.

Some people have places underground to wait for the storm to finish. People are also encouraged to not go outside during the storms, as they could be hurt by objects flying in the wind.