Hurricane Milton strengthened to a Category 5 storm on Monday as it takes aim at Florida's west coast. Landfall is expected as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Milton is closing in as Floridians are still recovering from the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Helene.

Milton rapidly strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane Monday on a path toward Florida population centers including Tampa and Orlando, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and setting the stage for potential mass evacuations.