Is extreme weather our most urgent challenge? Hundreds of thousands of people have been told to leave Florida, where Hurricane Milton is due to make landfall today.
Forecaster’s tears over monster storm
Leave now: Floridians have been warned Milton could be the worst storm to hit the state in 100 years, with "unsurvivable" storm surges. Evacuation is a matter of life and death, urges President Joe Biden. Glossary
Hurricane - A storm with violent winds that move in a circular direction.
Veteran - Somebody with a lot of experience in a job. Also used to refer to former soldiers.
Apologise - Say sorry.
Florida - A coastal state in the south-east of the US, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Though nicknamed "the sunshine state", it also experiences phenomenal rainstorms.
Evacuation - Leaving an area due to danger, often temporarily.
Governor - In the USA, governors are elected leaders of the 50 states.
Donald Trump - An American politician, media personality, and businessman serving as the 47th president of the United States since January 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
Vice president - In the USA, the vice president can take over from the president if they are unable to run the country.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.
Droughts - A time when there is not enough water and the ground is very dry.
Artificial Intelligence - Artificial intelligence, or “AI,” is the ability for a computer to think and learn. With AI, computers can perform tasks that are typically done by people, including processing language, problem-solving, and learning.
Covid-19 - The official scientific name for the type of coronavirus that swept the world from March 2020.