Hurricane Milton is developing into what could be the second catastrophic hurricane to strike Florida’s Gulf Coat in less than two weeks.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Monday the massive storm quickly grew into a Category 5 hurricane and is expected to make landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast by Wednesday night or early Thursday.
The National Weather Service issued a hurricane watch for most of Florida’s Gulf Coast — from the mouth of the Suwanee River north of Cedar Key to the island community of Chokoloskee on the western edge of the Everglades.
The storm, currently packing 160 mph winds, was expected to skirt the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula before crossing into the eastern Gulf of Mexico and heading toward the Florida Peninsula. Storm surge in the vulnerable Tampa Bay area could reach 8 to 12 feet, the hurricane center warned.
