Hurricane Milton, with winds of 290 km/h this morning, October 8 (Vietnam time), is the strongest storm ever to form this late in the Atlantic hurricane season. It is even forecast to strengthen further, possibly bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and water levels of up to 4.5 meters in some areas.

While the storm was breaking records, weather officials realized that a tiny pinhole eye had appeared.

The wind speed of a hurricane is not proportional to the diameter of the eye. A small eye is a sign that the storm is extremely dangerous and meteorologists often feel very worried when they see a pinhole eye.

Hurricane Milton has a pinhole-sized eye (3.8 miles, or 6.1 kilometers). Photo: Noah Bergren.

The eye of a hurricane is typically 20 to 40 miles (32 to 64 kilometers) in diameter. An eye less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) in diameter is called a pinhole eye, according to Bay News . Pinhole eyes are typically associated with powerful hurricanes. Some of the most destructive hurricanes have pinhole eyes.

More specifically, the smaller the eye of the storm, the stronger the winds are likely to be. We can imagine a dancer spinning on stage. If the dancer spreads her arms wide, she spins more slowly, but if she holds her arms close to her body, she spins more quickly.

Hurricane Wilma of 2005 holds the record for having the smallest eye of a hurricane, measuring less than 2 miles (3.2 km) in diameter. Wilma also reached super typhoon status. Photo: NOAA.

Meteorologist Noah Bergren in Tampa, Florida, said the eye of Hurricane Milton was only 6.1 km in diameter this morning, which is very small, and that the superstorm is “approaching the mathematical limit of what the Earth’s atmosphere can do in this ocean.” “I have no words to describe the intensity of this storm,” Bergren said.

Image of Hurricane Milton. This could be the strongest storm to hit Tampa (Florida, USA) in a century. Photo: NOAA.

According to the Independent , the Mayor of Tampa (Florida) issued a brief and stern warning to residents about evacuation: “If you stay, you will lose your life.”