By Simon Kent | Breitbart
Storm Milton strengthened from a major tropical disturbance into a Category 3 hurricane early on Monday morning, increasing the threat to Florida’s west coast, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a special alert.
The state is now gearing up for what could be its biggest mass evacuation in seven years as the rain-sodden behemoth heads toward major population centers including Tampa and Orlando.
“While it is too soon to specify the exact magnitude and location of the greatest impacts, there is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning Tuesday night or early Wednesday,” the NHC said in a forecast discussion.
The NHC also warned of “5 to 8 inches” of rainfall “with localized totals up to 12 inches … expected across portions of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys through Wednesday night” in an advisory Sunday. According to the NHC, the storm is currently in the Gulf of Mexico off of Mexico’s east coast.