Those speeds increased by 95 mph in 24 hours and by 130 mph in 36 hours.  The storm, now about 650 miles from Tampa, rapidly strengthened from Category 2 to 5 in just a few hours Monday. By Tuesday,

Meteorologist Dr. Ryan Truchelut, of Tallahassee-based WeatherTiger, is tracking Category 5 Hurricane Milton ahead of a catastrophic collision with the Florida peninsula.

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck Florida’s Big Bend coast, Milton appears headed for the state. It could intensify to a Category 4 and make landfall as a Category 3.