Maps show the track of Hurricane Milton as forecasters predict landfall in Florida this week

Hurricane Milton The storm quickly strengthened into a Category 1 storm on Sunday and made its way across Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Forecasters expect Milton to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday, bringing winds of more than 120 mph and drenching an area that is still reeling Hurricane Helene.

As of 5 p.m. ET Sunday, the center of Milton was about 275 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and about 805 miles west-southwest of Tampa. Maximum sustained winds were 85 mph and moving north-northeast at 7 mph.

Path of Hurricane Milton

A map from the National Hurricane Center shows Milton continuing to develop into a major hurricane as it approaches the west coast of Florida.

“Milton is expected to strengthen rapidly over the next few days and become a major hurricane on Monday,” forecasters said.

The storm is expected to continue north of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Heavy rain is expected as it moves northeast from Milton toward Florida. The Mexican government issued a hurricane warning from Celestun to Cabo Catoche and a tropical storm warning east of Cabo Catoche to Cancun.

The hurricane center said hurricane and storm surge warnings could be issued for parts of Florida later Sunday.

Officials in Florida are preparing for further impacts

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that while it remains to be seen where Milton will strike, it is clear Florida will be hit hard. “I don’t think there’s a scenario where we don’t have a major impact at this point,” he said.

“You have time to prepare – all day today, all day Monday and probably all day Tuesday to ensure your hurricane preparedness plan is implemented,” the governor said. “If you are on the barrier islands on the west coast of Florida, just assume you will be asked to leave the country.”

DeSantis expanded his emergency declaration to 51 counties on Sunday, saying Floridians should prepare for more power outages and interruptions and make sure they have a week’s worth of food and water and are ready to hit the streets.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, meanwhile, coordinated with the governor and briefed President Biden on Sunday on how it has deployed life-saving resources.

“I strongly recommend that you evacuate” if you are in an evacuation zone, said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “We are preparing … for the largest evacuation we have ever seen, most likely since 2017, Hurricane Irma.”

Up to 4,000 National Guard troops are helping state crews clear debris, DeSantis said.

“All available state resources … will be mobilized to assist with debris removal,” DeSantis said. “We’re on duty 24/7… it’s all hands on deck.”