Updated October 06, 2024 at 14:38 PM ET
Updated at 2:38 p.m. ET.
Tropical storm Milton has strengthened into a hurricane — a day earlier than forecasters anticipated — as Florida officials prepare for the state's largest evacuation in years.
Tropical Storm Milton was about 800 miles away from Florida's west coast, as of Sunday afternoon. It was expected to make landfall on Wednesday in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Our original story continues below:
Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene left a devastating and deadly trail across the Southeast, another storm is forecast to reach Florida this week — bringing threats of heavy rain, strong winds and flash flooding to the already-storm battered state.
The National Weather Service said Saturday that a tropical storm, named Milton, had formed in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is heading toward the west coast of the Florida Peninsula. It is forecast to strengthen rapidly into a hurricane on Sunday night and become a major hurricane late Monday as it approaches the Florida coast, according to Sunday morning update from the NWS.
Forecasters said the storm is expected to bring potentially life-threatening storm conditions, including storm surge and strong winds, starting late Tuesday or Wednesday. Meanwhile, some parts of Florida will be drenched by heavy rainfall as soon as Sunday or Monday. Five to eight inches of rain are expected, including isolated totals up to to 12 inches, across the Florida Peninsula and Keys through Wednesday night, the update from the NWS also said.
Parts of South Florida were already experiencing heavy rainfall on Saturday. South Florida was expected to receive up to 7 inches of rain through Thursday. A flood watch is in effect for wide swaths of central and south Florida, including cities Palm Beach, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. The flood watch is in effect until Thursday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday expanded the state of emergency to include 51 counties, including all of central Florida, in preparation for Milton’s arrival.
The governor’s order activates the Florida National Guard as needed and expedites debris cleanup from Hurricane Helene.
FEMA on Saturday urged Floridians to “take the forecast seriously and do not wait to prepare” for the storm.
“FEMA is prepared to respond and stands ready to support the state with any request for resources,” the agency said in a statement. “Hundreds of FEMA staff are on the ground in Florida supporting Helene recovery and coordinating with the state to prepare people for the next storm.”
The prospect of another major storm comes as communities across the Southeast continue to uncover the full extent of Helene's damage. Six states — Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — were hit the hardest. Helene's death toll has surpassed 200.
In Florida, at least 19 people have died as a result of the storm, according to USA Today. Helene is considered one of the deadliest hurricanes to have hit the continental U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
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