Tropical Storm Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 1 hurricane Sunday with its path aimed at Florida, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the state. The storm debuted as a hurricane Monday afternoon after producing sustained winds of 80 mph and continued to strengthen by drawing fuel from the Gulf of Mexico's sultry waters. Forecasters said Milton was likely to reach major hurricane status, denoting a Category 3, 4, or 5 storm Monday. It was pushing out maximum sustained winds estimated to be 80 mph, with some higher gusts, the hurricane center said, and moving east at 6 mph. Residents fill sandbags on Fort Myers Beach, in Fla., in preparation for Hurricane Milton on Oct. 6, 2024.

---

Persons: Milton, Helene, Ron DeSantis, Hurricane Milton, Andrew West, Helene rampaged, It's Organizations: Gov, Hurricane, Press, USA, Florida, Florida Keys Locations: Florida, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Progreso, Mexico, Tampa, Fort Myers Beach, Fla, Milton, Gulf of Mexico, Florida’s, Cuba, Bahamas, Gulf's, Campeche, Big Bend, Pinellas County, Tampa Bay