Not even two weeks after Hurricane Helene swamped the Florida coastline, Milton has strengthened rapidly into a Category 5 hurricane on a path toward the state. The system is threatening the densely populated Tampa metro area — which has a population of more than 3.

Milton intensified quickly Monday over the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 180 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

The National Weather Service warns Milton could be the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in more than a century