Milton is likely to become a major hurricane before hitting Florida on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Topline
Tropical Storm Milton is expected to become a major hurricane before it makes landfall on the Florida Peninsula Wednesday, possibly hitting Tampa Bay—less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene moved through Florida and caused devastating flooding across parts of the Southeastern U.S.Key Facts
Milton is expected to “quickly intensify” as it moves northeast across the Gulf of Mexico,, according to the National Hurricane Center, which predicted the storm will be “at or near major hurricane strength” when it hits Florida and warned “there is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts” beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday.
Milton is forecast to become a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 mph before hitting Florida; tropical storms are classified as hurricanes when winds reach 74 mph and major hurricanes when winds exceed 110 mph.
The storm was about 835 miles west-southwest of Tampa as of Sunday morning after winds increased to near 65 mph during the late morning, according to the National Hurricane Center, which forecast Milton to become a hurricane later Sunday with “steady to rapid strengthening” over the next few days.
