Hurricane Milton – live: Florida warned ‘once in a lifetime’ storm on its way amid Helene cleanup

Florida is preparing for what could be another “once in a lifetime storm” heading for its coast this week, even as the cleanup from Hurricane Helene is still underway.

Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to hit the heavily-populated Tampa Bay area by Wednesday, likely as a major Category 3 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Centre .

Floridians were asked to brace for what could be the largest evacuation since 2017’s Hurricane Irma . “I highly encourage you to evacuate,” Kevin Guthrie, director of Florida’s emergency management division, said.

Milton is racing towards areas already devastated by Hurricane Helene, which struck northern Florida on 26 September and caused more than 220 deaths across the Southeast. On Monday morning, Milton was about 750 miles from Tampa with sustained winds surpassing 100mph, the NHC announced.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned the storm surge and power outages could exceed those caused by Helene, especially given the leftover debris. “There are some areas with a lot of debris... if hit by a major hurricane, it’s going to dramatically increase damage,” he said.

President Joe Biden is due to be briefed this afternoon.