Communities in Florida are being urged to prepare for a potential Category 3 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico just days after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the state – killing at least 20 people in Florida, leaving thousands without power and paving a trail of wreckage.
While the state is still clearing debris from Helene – which made landfall September 26 on Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 and created a 500-mile path of destruction with catastrophic flooding and damaging winds – it’s now contending with Tropical Storm Milton.
The storm is expected to “quickly intensify while it moves eastward to northeastward across the Gulf of Mexico and be at or near major hurricane strength when it reaches the west coast of the Florida Peninsula mid week,” the National Hurricane Center said.
“The big question is how quickly and by how much will the storm intensify,” the hurricane center said.
Milton is projected to make landfall in Florida at up to Category 3 strength with 120 mph winds. On Sunday, hurricane and storm surge watches will likely be issued for parts of the Florida coast – with dangerous storm surge expected for some areas just slammed by Helene.