Tropical Storm Milton was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday afternoon as it roared across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida.
Milton registered sustained winds at 80 mph and was expected to gain strength as the week progressed while it targeted Florida’s west coast, the National Hurricane Center said.
“I don’t think there’s any scenario where we don’t have major impacts at this point,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday. “If you’re on that west coast of Florida, barrier islands, just assume you’ll be asked to leave.”
Milton was expected to increase in strength early in the week — at least to a Category 3 storm — before making landfall around Wednesday, according to the NHC. Exactly where the storm would strike remained unclear Sunday, but DeSantis declared states of emergency in 51 of Florida’s 67 counties.
Meteorologists predicted 5-8 inches of rain across the state, with some areas seeing as much as 12 inches from Sunday through Wednesday.
Additionally, the storm was expected to kick up a significant storm surge on Florida’s gulf coast, putting coastal communities at risk of additional flooding.
“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,” DeSantis said Sunday.
Many of the communities endangered by Milton were still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which made landfall Sept. 26 near Perry, Fla., about 160 miles north of Tampa.
While Helene brought its worst devastation to Appalachian communities in North Carolina, it also significantly affected parts of Florida that could be in Milton’s path.
“This is not a good track for the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “From an emotional perspective it’s tough. People do get fatigued.”
As of Sunday afternoon, Milton was still much closer to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula than to Florida. The storm was centered about 815 miles west-southwest of Tampa, according to the NHC.
It was predicted to progress west to east across the Gulf during the week before moving out to the Atlantic Ocean after slamming Florida. Tropical storm-force winds extended 80 miles from the storm’s center, forecasters said.