Major hurricane forecast to slam Florida midweek, will hit the same communities damaged by Helene [View all]

Tropical Storm Milton tracker: Major hurricane forecast to slam Florida

Tropical Storm Milton formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday as forecasters expect the storm to quickly strengthen into a major hurricane over the next few days.

Milton is expected to rapidly intensify over the next 36 hours and could be a major Category 3 hurricane when it reaches the west coast of the Florida peninsula mid-week, bringing the risk of life-threatening impacts to portions of the state's west coast, the National Hurricane Center said. Areas at the greatest risk are communities still reeling from last month’s Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Ian in 2022.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the following counties: Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter and Volusia.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2024/10/05/hurricane-milton-tracker-path-spaghetti-models/75530042007/