Hurricane Milton has intensified from a small Category 1 storm into a Category 5 hurricane, with little likelihood of weakening as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico on its path to the west coast of Florida.
As of 1:30 pm ET Monday, the National Hurricane Center is reporting sustained winds of 175 mph. It is expected to make landfall Wednesday evening. The National Weather Service also placed a hurricane watch in effect for the Florida Gulf Coast and Lake Okeechobee.
On Sunday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he expects the Sunshine State to be hit hard.
“I don’t think there’s any scenario where we don’t have major impacts at this point,” he said. “You have time to prepare — all day today, all day Monday, probably all day Tuesday to be sure your hurricane preparedness plan is in place. If you’re on that west coast of Florida, barrier islands, just assume you’ll be asked to leave.”
