“Extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm is expected to make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast this evening

Hurricane Milton remained a dangerous Category 4 storm on Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph – just shy of Category 5 status – as it neared landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast, which is still being ravaged by Helene.

“Milton is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane as it approaches the central west coast of Florida this evening,” the National Hurricane Center said in its bulletin at 8 a.m. ET, warning of damaging winds and “life-threatening” storm surge would increase well outside the forecast zone.

The center of the storm is expected to make landfall in the Tampa area late Wednesday or early Thursday morning and move east-northeast over central Florida on Thursday.

Hurricane Milton Live Updates: Category 4 storm will make landfall Wednesday evening

“Milton will remain a very dangerous hurricane as it reaches Florida,” the hurricane center said, “and will retain its hurricane status as it moves across the state.”

A state of emergency is in effect in 51 counties across the state and millions of people are being evacuated.

The storm is one of only 40 hurricanes on record to have escalated to Category 5 in the Atlantic and one of seven hurricanes to go from Category 1 to Category 5 in 24 hours or less. Officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency called Milton the third fastest-growing storm ever in the Atlantic, behind Hurricanes Wilma (2005) and Felix (2007).

Where is Hurricane Milton and what path is it taking?

As of Wednesday, 9 a.m. ET:

• Milton was about 115 miles west of the Dry Tortugas.

• It was about 230 miles southwest of Tampa.

• The storm had maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour.

• The storm was moving northeast at a speed of 16 miles per hour.

The NHC warned that “a large area of ​​destructive storm surge” would occur along parts of Florida's west coast.

“This is an extremely life-threatening situation and residents in these areas should follow the advice of local authorities and evacuate immediately if ordered to do so,” the hurricane center said.

Storm surges of up to 15 feet are possible in some areas.

Meanwhile, portions of the Florida Peninsula and Florida Keys are expected to see rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches, with local totals of up to 15 inches through Wednesday night. Such rainfall poses “the risk of significant flash flooding, urban and regional flooding, as well as the possibility of moderate to severe river flooding,” forecasters said.

Clocks and Alerts

Starting Wednesday, 8 a.m. ET, a Hurricane warning applies to:

• Florida's west coast from Bonita Beach north to the Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay

• Florida's east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line north to Ponte Vedra Beach

A “hurricane warning” means that hurricane conditions are expected in the area. Precautions and preparations for people and property should be completed.

A Hurricane watch applies to:

• Florida's West Coast, from Chokoloskee to south of Bonita Beach

• Rio Lagartos to Cabo Catoche

• Dry Tortugas

• Lake Okeechobee

A “hurricane warning” means that hurricane conditions are possible in the areas and is typically issued 48 hours before the expected hurricane.

A Tropical Storm Warning applies to:

• All Florida Keys including Dry Tortugas and Florida Bay

• Lake Okeechobee

• Florida's West Coast, from Flamingo to south of Bonita Beach

• Florida's west coast from north of the mouth of the Suwanee River to Indian Pass

• Florida's east coast south of the Indian River/St. Lucie County Line to Flamingo

• Florida's east coast north from Ponte Vedra Beach to the Savannah River

• Far northwest of the Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, Abacos and Bimini

A “Tropical Storm Warning” means that areas are expected to experience tropical storm conditions within the next 36 hours.

A Tropical storm watch applies to:

• Georgia and South Carolina coast, north from St. Mary's River to South Santee River

• Far northwest of the Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, Abacos and Bimini

A “tropical storm watch” means tropical storm conditions are possible in areas over the next 48 hours.

A Storm surge warning applies to:

• The west coast of Florida from Flamingo north to Yankeetown, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor

• The east coast of Florida from Sebastian Inlet, Florida, to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, including the St. Johns River

A “storm surge warning” means there is a risk of life-threatening flooding over the next 36 hours.

A Storm surge watch applies to:

• North of Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to Edisto Beach, SC

A “storm surge watch” means there is a possibility of life-threatening flooding.

Evacuation orders

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Florida Division of Emergency Management had ordered mandatory evacuations for people living in evacuation zones in 13 Florida counties and voluntary evacuations for eight more.

Mandatory evacuations apply to:

• Charlotte County

• Citrus County

• Collier County

• Hernando County

• Hillsborough County

• Lee County

• Levy County

• Manatee County

• Pasco County

• Pinellas County

• Sarasota County

• St. John's County

• Volusia County

Voluntary evacuations apply to:

• Dixie County

• Gilchrist County

• Glades County

• Hardee County

• Lake County

• Miami-Dade County

• Okeechobee County

• Union County

To find out if you live in an evacuation zone, click here.

Milton arrives days after Helene

Hurricane Milton comes just over a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a monstrous Category 4 storm, causing at least 20 deaths in Florida alone.

During a press briefing Monday afternoon, FEMA noted that the organization will not yet redirect personnel already working in areas affected by Hurricane Helene to Milton's route.

After making landfall with winds of 140 miles per hour, Helene moved inland across the southeast, leaving more than 200 dead and widespread destruction. After the storm, Florida's infrastructure and emergency services were overwhelmed.

Read more from Yahoo News: Helene shows that in the age of climate change, hurricanes don't just destroy coastlines

Active hurricane season

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, but the peak of increased activity is usually from August to October. According to NOAA, in a “typical” Atlantic hurricane season there will typically be about 14 named storms, “of which seven become hurricanes and three become major hurricanes.”

As of early October, eight hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic – Milton is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. As CNN notes, hurricane season is moving faster than expected. Normally, the 13th storm of the season would not hit until October 25th at the earliest.

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that FEMA does not have the resources to get through the season. President Biden said last week that Congress may need to pass additional spending legislation in the next few months to fund states' recovery efforts.