Hurricane Milton is expected to hit Florida. 3 Just a few days after Helene

Ten days after the Southeast was hit by Helene, one of the deadliest storms in modern history, the National Weather Service today forecast that the newly formed Hurricane Milton is heading toward Central Florida and could impact the entire state.

“Milton is expected to move just north of the Yucatan Peninsula and across the southern Gulf of Mexico on Monday and Tuesday, approaching the west coast of the Florida Peninsula by Wednesday,” an NWS report said.

“The maximum sustained winds have increased to almost 150 km/h with stronger gusts. Milton is forecast to strengthen rapidly and become a major hurricane on Monday.”

This means Milton will develop from a tropical storm into a cat. 3 hurricanes in 24 hours. Cat. 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale means wind speeds of 111-129 miles per hour. According to the NWS, “the official intensity forecast…indicates that Milton will quickly reach Category 4 intensity over the next few days.” Fortunately, it is expected to weaken slightly before reaching the west coast of Florida. According to the graphic below, it is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane, probably Cat. 3.

Hurricane-force winds are currently extending up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds are extending outward up to 80 miles.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that most of the state would likely be affected. He has declared a state of emergency in 51 counties, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Miami-Dade and Broward.

“I don’t think there’s a scenario where we don’t have a significant impact at this point,” he said at a news conference. “If you are on the west coast of Florida and the offshore islands, just assume that you are likely to be ordered to evacuate.”

Unnamed hurricanes of 1909, 1910, 1929, 1933, 1945, and 1949 were all Category 3 storms when they struck South Florida, as were King in 1950, Betsy in 1965, Jeanne in 2004, and Irma in 2017. Milton would be the third hurricane, that is plaguing the state this year.

The current forecast cone, which could change dramatically in the next two days, calls for Milton to make landfall just south of Tampa Bay, where just ten days ago there was an eight-foot storm surge on some of the offshore islands in and around Pinellas County came. Local officials there are desperately trying to clear Helene's rubble so it doesn't become airborne projectiles or flooding.

Officials told the Tampa Bay Times that Milton could be far worse than Helene. According to the newspaper's report, sewage systems and electricity could be out for weeks.

DeSantis warned in a statement posted on social media that the storm threatens more than just the state's west coast.

“Impacts will be felt throughout the Florida peninsula as Milton is expected to move across the east coast of Florida as a hurricane,” the governor wrote.

In a press conference with the governor, Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, told residents, “I strongly encourage you to evacuate.” We are preparing for the largest evacuation we will most likely have since Hurricane Irma in 2017 have experienced and I have tasked the State Emergency Response Team with the preparations.”