Florida hurricane watchers brace for another blow

TAMPA - Less than 10 days after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, the state is bracing for another potentially devastating blow from a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, this one a potential Category 3 storm.

Tropical Storm Milton formed in the western Gulf on Saturday morning, just hours after it became a tropical depression, the National Hurricane Center said in a special alert.

Milton is forecast to strengthen and bring life-threatening impacts to portions of the west coast of Florida. With very low vertical wind shear and incredibly warm sea-surface temperatures, Milton will be able to gain steady to rapid strength over the next few days.

“The official intensity forecasts call for Milton to become a major hurricane in 72 hours,” according to an update from the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is expected to “quickly intensify while it moves eastward to northeastward across the Gulf of Mexico and be at or near major hurricane strength when it reaches the west coast of the Florida Peninsula mid week,” the hurricane center said. It is projected to make landfall in Florida at up to Category 3 strength, with 115 mph winds.

In preparation for the storm, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 35 counties Saturday, according to a release from his office.

The storm threat comes after Helene made landfall September 26 on Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 and created a 500-mile path of destruction with catastrophic flooding, damaging winds and power outages. Local authorities have reported more than 200 deaths across six states and fear the number could rise.

Helene was one of the largest storms the Gulf of Mexico has seen in the last century.