See map, forecast and status

Hurricane Milton has become a monster storm as it sucks up its natural fuel, warm water, in the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center had warned that Milton was likely to develop into a severe hurricane, with minimum sustained winds of 111 mph, and its status was confirmed at 8 a.m. Monday.

On Monday, the NHC said the storm had intensified into a “potentially catastrophic” Category 5 storm. After bouncing back and forth between a Category 4 and 5 storm on Tuesday, it was downgraded again to a Category 4 storm on Wednesday morning, with sustained winds of up to 100 km/h 155 mph.

NBC News forecasters said the storm could weaken back to Category 3 before making landfall on Florida's west coast late Wednesday or early Thursday.

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The storm is expected to make landfall between St. Petersburg and Sarasota, forecasters said.

Danger of storms

Federal meteorologists said Milton would trigger life-threatening storm surges along nearly all of Florida's west coast, while also triggering flash flooding and damaging winds initially forecast to reach speeds of 111 miles per hour and above near the center, and from there unleash hurricane-force gusts approximately 30 miles.

That radius could double before landfall, NBC News forecasters said.

Rain and isolated tornadoes were forecast for areas across the Florida Peninsula Wednesday night, with the storm moving east and into the open Atlantic by Thursday.

Coastal and inland cities including Tampa, Orlando, Daytona Beach, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples are at risk of significant impacts, including wind-related power outages, flash flooding and storm surge flooding, NBC News forecasters said.

Up to 20cm of rain was forecast, with storm surges of up to 4.5m possible for coastal towns, it said.

Milton's rare origins

Milton's rapid rise has rattled a southeastern region still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region on Sept. 26, killing more than 230 people in six states.

The latest hurricane is a rare product of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico rather than the Caribbean or Atlantic.

Milton began as Tropical Depression 14 in the Gulf of Campeche, sheltered behind the western coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.

A hurricane taking this path from the Bay of Campeche to Florida is exceptionally rare – the last recorded occurrence was in 1867.

See map, forecast and status

ByVanessa

Danger of storms

Milton's rare origins

By Vanessa

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Despite last-minute cleanup efforts, Helene's debris piles continue to pose a threat during Hurricane Milton