Milton has become a Category 5 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico on a path toward Florida's west coast, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay.

Another monster hurricane is set to strike the U.S. just two weeks after the last one. Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified to Category 5 strength on Monday, less than two days after it formed as a tropical storm over the Gulf of Mexico,

The entire Gulf Coast of Florida is especially vulnerable to storm surge. Last week, Hurricane Helene, which came ashore some 150 miles (240 kilometers) away from Tampa in the Florida Panhandle, still managed to cause drowning deaths in the Tampa area due to surges of around 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.5 meters) above normal tide levels.