Hurricane Milton is gaining strength by the minute as it it Category 5 status late Monday night morning.
The monster storm is currently over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico on its way to Florida where it is expected to bring a life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds and flooding rain, according to Fox Weather.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton’s winds increased to 160 mph.
As a result, Hurricane Watches, Tropical Storm Watches and Storm Surge Watches have been issued along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Those watches are expected to be upgraded as the storm moves closer to Florida.
Some residents are hunkering down ahead of the storm, thousands are also leaving the coast as officials have started calling for voluntary and mandatory evacuations.
The Hurricane Watches were issued along Florida’s Gulf Coast going from about the Cedar Key area south to Naples. This included Tampa and Fort Myers.
Tropical Storm Watches are also in effect for the Florida Keys and for Gulf Coast communities from Flamingo to south of Chokoloskee and from north of the Suwanee River to Indian Pass.
A Storm Surge Watch has also been issued for Florida’s Gulf Coast from Flamingo northward to the Suwannee River, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay.
The current storm surge forecast for Tampa Bay is between 8 and 12 feet. That is if the peak surge happens at the same time as high tide. During Hurricane Helene, Tampa Bay saw a 7-8 feet of storm surge.
“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the south of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves,” the NHC said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials held a news conference Sunday, saying evacuations are likely, and time is running out to prepare for Milton.
“I urge Floridians to finalize your storm preparations now; enact your plan,” Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said. “I highly encourage you to evacuate. We are preparing, and I have the State Emergency Response Team preparing, for the largest evacuation that we have seen most likely since 2017 Hurricane Irma.”
If Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida, it will follow Debby in August and Helene in September as the third to make landfall this hurricane season.
Just Saturday, Milton was designated as as Tropical Depression Fourteen. Just 24 hours later, it became Hurricane Milton Sunday afternoon.
The storm quickly rose through the ranks of hurricane status, jumping from a Category 3 to Category 5 in hours.
Forecasters believe Milton will likely hit Florida as a major hurricane, meaning Category 3 or higher.
