Fuelled by bath-like ocean temperatures surpassing 30 degrees, Hurricane Milton raged so strongly in its early days it moved an aghast meteorologist to tears on air.

Ninety per cent of human-caused global warming is occurring in the ocean, ramping up water temperatures across the globe and brewing record storm-strengthening heat in the Gulf of Mexico.

Milton was one of the top three fastest-intensifying storms in the Atlantic. It was also the lowest-pressure system since hurricanes Rita and Wilma in 2005.

Only five other years have seen two category 5 hurricanes in one season. But as Milton surged towards Florida, the storm dropped in intensity.

Hurricanes always lose power as they approach land and are cut off from their ocean source of heat, moisture and energy.

Milton hit the coast as a category 3 hurricane with 208km/h winds, as opposed to the 252km/h gales of a category 5. Over the course of a few hours it was downgraded to category 1.

The system became “lopsided” as it made landfall, New York Times meteorologist Judson Jones said. All the heavy rain gathered on the northern side of the storm, pelting Tampa Bay with three months’ worth of rain in three hours. Meanwhile, a swath of cool, dry air buffeted the hurricane, weakening the system, pushing it north-east and spreading out its wind radius.

“Had it not become unbalanced, the storm might have been able to carry its strength a while longer, and the effects could have been even more destructive,” Jones wrote.