Hurricane Milton tracker: Florida warns of a 'once in a lifetime' storm on the way during cleanup efforts in Helene

Heavy rains are likely to hit Florida before Milton reaches landfall on Wednesday.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the Florida Keys and parts of the state's peninsula could experience 5 to 8 inches of rainfall, with local rainfall totals of up to 15 inches as the storm approaches.

Hurricane Milton's threat to Florida is compounded by the fact that the state is still recovering from the devastation left by Hurricane Helene just days ago.

Experts warn that Milton, expected to make landfall midweek, could increase damage in areas already struggling with debris, weakened infrastructure and overstretched resources.

“There are some areas with a lot of debris. So if you get hit by a major hurricane, what happens to that debris? The damage will increase dramatically,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis.

AccuWeather's senior hurricane expert Alex DaSilva warned that Helene's debris “could turn into missiles or be washed away in floods and storm surges.”

The storm surge in Milton could exceed what many experienced during Helene, forecasters warned, urging residents to heed evacuation orders.

“Rescues will be incredibly dangerous, if not impossible, during this storm,” DaSilva said.

According to AccuWeather, Hurricane Milton could become a “historic, once-in-a-lifetime storm for Floridians.”

As Milton heads toward Florida's Gulf Coast, it could bring some of the most catastrophic impacts in modern history, particularly in the heavily populated Tampa Bay area, the private meteorologist said.

“Milton has the potential to become one of Florida's most damaging and costly hurricanes,” AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter said, with life-threatening threats including an extreme storm surge of 10 to 15 feet and damaging winds.

AccuWeather experts rated Milton a 4 out of 5 on their RealImpact scale for hurricanes.

The storm's direction remains uncertain, but minor deviations could drastically change its impact, meteorologists said.

As Milton moves further south, areas already devastated by Hurricane Ian's storm surge, such as Fort Myers and Naples, could suffer even more destruction.

However, a more northerly path could result in storm surges of up to 20 feet in parts of Tampa Bay.

AccuWeather's senior hurricane expert Alex DaSilva warned that debris left behind by Hurricane Helene could be deadly if it made landfall in Milton and urged residents to heed evacuation orders.

Florida is preparing for the largest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017 as Hurricane Milton barrels toward the state's west coast.

Kevin Guthrie, head of Florida's emergency management department, urged people to prepare for the “largest evacuation we have most likely seen since Hurricane Irma in 2017.”

“I strongly encourage you to evacuate,” he said at a news conference.

Officials warn that more than 500,000 residents of Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg, could be ordered to evacuate starting Monday as the storm intensifies.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a news conference that these could be mandatory evacuation orders because too many people ignored the orders for Helene, leading to 12 deaths in the county and 1,500 emergency calls that went unanswered.

Evacuations of hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities have already begun, affecting over 6,600 patients, while schools are scheduled to close early this week.

Hurricane Milton, expected to make landfall near the densely populated Tampa Bay area by Wednesday, could cause devastating storm surges and widespread destruction in regions still recovering from Hurricane Helene.

According to the US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Milton rapidly strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday, developing from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane.

Milton's sustained winds reached 85 mph (140 km/h) and it was located about 780 miles (1,255 km) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, and moving eastward at 7 mph (11 km/h).

Meteorologists warned that the storm could continue to strengthen over the next few days, potentially reaching major hurricane status before making landfall on Florida's west coast in midweek.