The National Hurricane Center warned Saturday that newly formed Tropical Storm Milton will intensify into a major hurricane before it hits Florida on Wednesday. “Milton is within favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions for strengthening,

Milton became a hurricane Sunday, afternoon with "steady and rapid strengthening" forecast over the next few days.

Bob Gendron loads sandbags onto his truck, as they are distributed to Pinellas County residents before the expected arrival of Tropical Storm Milton, in Seminole, Florida, U.S. October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Octavio Jones (Reuters) - Florida on Sunday prepared for the state's largest evacuation since 2017 as Tropical Storm Milton intensified in the Gulf of Mexico on its path toward Florida's western coast,

The National Hurricane Center says people across Florida should take notice: Milton is still just a tropical storm off Mexico, but it’s expected to intensify rapidly as it moves east across the Gulf and could be a major hurricane before it slams into the storm-ravaged Florida coast,

The storm is forecast to strengthen and bring the risk of life-threatening impacts to portions of Florida’s West Coast next week, with hurricane and storm-surge watches likely being in effect Sunday.