(AP) Hurricane Milton strengthened into a Category 3 storm Monday as Florida gears up for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years as the storm headed toward population centers including Tampa and Orlando.

The storm was major hurricane as it moved over the Gulf of Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (193 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Milton could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. It comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck, causing deaths and catastrophic damage from Florida into the Appalachian Mountains.

Hurricane Milton was strengthening over the southern Gulf of Mexico as storm surge and hurricane watches for parts of Florida and a hurricane warning for the Mexican coast were issued, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm-ravaged Gulf Coast in Florida was expected to hit again.

While forecast models vary widely, the most likely path suggests Milton could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other southeastern states ravaged by Hurricane Helene, which caused catastrophic damage from Florida into the Appalachian Mountains and a death toll that rose Sunday to at least 230 people.

The Mexican government issued a hurricane warning for the Yucatan Peninsula from Celestun to Rio Lagartos, the center said.

About 7 million people were urged to evacuate Florida in 2017 as Hurricane Irma bore down on the state. The exodus jammed freeways, led to hourslong lines at gas stations that still had fuel and left evacuees frustrated and, in some cases, vowing never to evacuate again.

Full coverage: https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/nat... --

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