‘Just horrific': Hurricane specialist becomes emotional over Milton's explosive growth

NBC6 Hurricane Specialist John Morales realized that Milton had become a Category 5 monster storm on Monday just before he went on air at noon.

He paused for a moment, visibly emotional, and his voice shook as he expressed his disbelief.

"It's just an incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane. It has dropped," he stopped. "It has dropped 50 millibars in 10 hours. I apologize. This is just horrific."

Morales went on: "Maximum sustained winds are 160 mph. And it is just gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico where the winds--I mean, the seas, are just so, incredibly, incredibly hot. Record hot, as you might imagine. You know what's driving that. I don't need to tell you: global warming, climate change [are] leading to this and becoming an increasing threat for the Yucatan, including Merida and Progreso and other areas there."

Morales later commented on his overwhelm on X, saying "extreme weather driven by global warming has changed me. Frankly, YOU should be shaken too, and demand #ClimateActionNow."

I debated whether to share this. I did apologize on the air. But I invite you to read my introspection on @BulletinAtomic of how extreme weather 📈 driven by global warming has changed me. Frankly, YOU should be shaken too, and demand #ClimateActionNow. https://t.co/09vxgabSmX https://t.co/GzQbDglsBG

— John Morales (@JohnMoralesTV) October 7, 2024