Hurricane Milton stuns meteorologists with record-breaking rapid intensification

Hurricane Milton became one of the strongest hurricanes ever to form in the North Atlantic when its winds maxed out at 180 mph on Monday.

Milton's winds have since declined to 155 mph as the storm skimmed across the top of Cancun, Mexico. The powerful storm is currently a Category 4 cyclone and expected to make landfall in Florida as a Category 3 major hurricane .

Milton has shocked meteorologists and is said to have one of the most rapid intensification of a storm that's ever been seen, according to some experts. Only five Atlantic hurricanes have ever been stronger than Milton, CNN reported:

• Hurricane Allen, 1980: 190 mph
• Hurricane Dorian, 2019: 185 mph
• Hurricane Wilma, 2005: 185 mph
• Hurricane Gilbert, 1988: 185 mph
• Labor Day hurricane, 1935: 185 mph

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Milton’s pressure also dropped all the way to 897 millibars, making it the 2nd strongest hurricane in the Gulf on record based on pressure, and the 5th strongest in the Atlantic Basin. Hurricanes are just very strong low pressure systems, so the lower the pressure drops, generally the stronger the system gets, according to CNN.

Only three Atlantic hurricanes since 1979 have reached a lower pressure:

• Hurricane Wilma, 2005: 883 millibars
• Hurricane Gilbert, 1988: 888 millibars
• Hurricane Rita, 2005: 895 millibars

An 8- to 12-foot storm surge from Milton is possible, as is several inches of rain and nasty winds that are now around 155 mph. The storm has been fueled by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, meteorologists said. It's expected to weaken a bit more before it hits Florida, but not by much.

Some meteorologists say it could be a Category 3 by the time it reaches land, meaning wind speeds of 111 mph to 129 mph.The storm nevertheless poses "an extremely serious threat to Florida," some forecasters said, according to the Daily Mail . It's also the first time a major storm is slated to hit the Tampa Bay region head-on in over 100 years.

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Tampa, which has about 3.3. million people in its metropolitan area, is currently buckling down for the brunt of the storm, as are several other communities that find themselves in the path of the hurricane. It's expected to make landfall late Wednesday.

The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay residents to evacuate , be patient with traffic, leave early, and ensure they reached a safe house by Tuesday night. The last time the eye of a major storm like Hurricane Milton struck Tampa Bay, in 1921, the city was a sleepy backwater of a few hundred thousand people.

A century later, it’s among the fastest-growing metropolises in the United States, with more than 3 million people, and highly vulnerable to flooding due to climate change.