3 Things to Know Today

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1 Milton Makes Landfall Near Sarasota, Florida As A Category 3

The eye of Hurricane Milton made landfall at 8:30 pm Eastern time last night near Siesta Key, Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, but the weather-related problems and damage started much earlier in the day. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reported that the storm had generated over 100 tornado warnings and just under 20 confirmed touchdowns in the state before making landfall with 120-mph maximum sustained winds. By 1:30 am, over 2.6-million customers were without power in Florida as Milton made his way across the peninsula. Shortly before landfall, DeSantis said in a press conference that there were around 9,000 National Guard troops staged in the state, and over 50,000 linemen were waiting to begin restoring power once conditions allowed. Damage assessments and more reliable fatality counts will become available as the sun comes up this morning and recovery efforts begin.

2 Solar Storm Bringing Northern Lights Into The Lower 48 States Again

Much of the country is being given another chance at a nighttime show at the moment. A coronal mass ejection, a burst of magnetized plasma ejected from the sun, erupted Tuesday and is expected to cause a moderate solar storm for Earth today and tomorrow according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This means that the aurora borealis will be visible further south than usual. How much more south? According to NOAA, the northern lights are visible for the northern half of the US and as far south as Alabama and Northern California. It's not just a light show, though. The solar storm can potentially interfere with radio and GPS signals, along with electric power networks. While that sounds ominous, there’s not much chance of anything similar to the Carrington Event happening this time around, as power networks have safeguards in place. Earth is currently approaching the peak of this solar cycle, but more space weather events are possible through the end of the year.

3 Hurricane Helene Caused Problems With IV Fluid Supply, Milton's Making It Worse

For the second time in two weeks, a hurricane is impacting the operations at hospitals around the country. Damage from Hurricane Helene caused the shutdown of a Baxter International plant in North Carolina, the largest supplier of IV fluids to hospitals. Now, Hurricane Milton has caused the temporary shutdown of two Florida facilities of B. Braun Medical, the nation’s second-largest supplier of IV fluids. Hospitals around the US are postponing some elective surgeries this week to conserve the supply of IV fluids they have on hand, but there’s another supply emerging. People are posting on Facebook that they have bags of IV fluid for sale, but of course hospitals aren’t buying it, so there’s no clear way for it to be useful.


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