Milton forecast strengthening into Category 3 and is expected to make landfall in Florida this week

Tropical Storm Milton formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday afternoon and is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane later today – and it is growing rapidly.

In a warning Sunday afternoon, National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasters said Milton was traveling across the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico toward Florida’s west coast. It is expected to make landfall along the west coast of the Tampa area as a Category 3 or higher by Wednesday, CBS News reports.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has warned that the state is preparing for the possible evacuation of over 6 million residents while still cleaning up the devastation left by Hurricane Helene last week. He has expanded the declaration of a state of emergency to 51 counties.

According to the White House, President Biden was briefed on the situation – including the “potential impacts” on Florida’s Gulf Coast and FEMA’s work in advance of the storm.

According to the NHC, the Mexican government has issued a tropical storm warning for the coast of Mexico from Celestún to Cabo Catoche. Those on the Florida Peninsula, Florida Keys and northwest Bahamas should monitor the storm’s progress. Hurricane and storm surge watches may be required in parts of Florida today.

Where is Tropical Storm Milton and what path is it taking?

Starting Sunday, 2 p.m. ET:

• Milton was located about 290 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico.

• It was about 815 miles west-southwest of Tampa.

• The storm had maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour.

• The storm was moving east-southeast, or 100 degrees, at 6 miles per hour across the Gulf of Mexico.

Category 1 wind speeds range from 74 to 95 mph, while Category 2 wind speeds range from 96 to 110 mph and Category 3 wind speeds range from 111 to 129 mph, according to the NHC.

“The risk of ‘life-threatening effects’ is increasing for portions of Florida’s west coast,” the NHC said Sunday morning. There is also an increasing risk of dangerous storm surge and wind impacts for parts of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula starting late Tuesday or Wednesday.

Residents of these areas should ensure they have a hurricane plan in place, the center warned in Saturday’s notice.

Parts of the Florida Peninsula and Keys can expect rainfall of 5 to 8 inches, and locally up to 12 inches, through Wednesday night. Such rains pose “risks of flash flooding, urban and area flooding, and minor to moderate river flooding,” forecasters said.

Meanwhile, 5 to 10 cm of rainfall can be expected in the northern Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba.

Outside of Tropical Storm Milton, Hurricane Kirk, currently a Category 2 hurricane, is generating swell that is expected to bring “an increased risk of dangerous surf and rip currents” to the U.S. East Coast over the next few days.

Milton arrives days after Helene

Tropical Storm Milton comes just over a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a monstrous Category 4 storm, causing at least 20 deaths in Florida alone.

After making landfall with winds of 140 miles per hour, the storm moved inland across the Southeast, killing more than 200 people and leaving widespread destruction in its wake. After the storm, the state’s infrastructure and emergency services were overwhelmed. As of Saturday afternoon, thousands of utility customers were still without power in Florida.

Read more from Yahoo News: Helene shows that in the age of climate change, hurricanes don’t just destroy coastlines

Active hurricane season

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, but the peak of increased activity is usually from August to October. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a “typical” Atlantic hurricane season will typically see about 14 named storms, “of which seven become hurricanes and three become major hurricanes.”

In early October, eight hurricanes formed in the Atlantic – Milton was the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. As CNN notes, hurricane season is moving faster than expected. Normally, the 13th storm of the season would not hit until October 25th at the earliest.

Earlier this week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency does not have the resources to get through the season. President Biden said this week that Congress may need to pass additional spending legislation in the next few months to fund states’ recovery efforts.