Tropical Storm Milton expected to become hurricane on Sunday: NHC

TAMPA, Fla. ( WFLA ) — Tropical Storm Milton is expected to become a hurricane on Sunday, and a major hurricane by midweek, according to the National Hurricane Center.

In an 11 a.m. update, the NHC said their NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft “finds a stronger Milton.” It has current maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and is moving east at 5 mph.

The storm is located roughly 835 miles west-southwest of Tampa.

“Milton is forecast to rapidly intensify during the next couple of days and become a hurricane later today and a major hurricane late Monday,” the NHC said. It could reach Category 3 major hurricane strength with 115 mph winds as it heads toward Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The risk for life-threatening impacts continues to increase for parts of Florida’s west coast, as the storm-force winds are extending outward up to 35 miles from the center.

Hurricane and storm surge watches for Florida are likely to be made later on Sunday, the NHC said. A tropical storm watch is currently in effect for Mexico’s Celestun to Cancun.

WFLA’s Chief Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli said heavy downpours will begin Sunday as the first wave of moisture reaches Florida’s coast.

“Given that the ground is saturated after one of the rainiest wet seasons on record, any downpours will lead to flooding,” Berardelli said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that while it remains to be seen just where Milton will strike, it’s clear that Florida is going to be hit hard.

“You have time to prepare — all day today, all day Monday, probably all day Tuesday to be sure your hurricane preparedness plan is in place,” the governor said. “Know your evacuation zone — there will be mandatory and voluntary evacuations.”

Late Sunday morning, mandatory evacuations began in Tampa Bay .

“I highly encourage you to evacuate” if you’re in an evacuation zone, said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “We are preparing … for the largest evacuation that we have seen, most likely since 2017, Hurricane Irma.”

DeSantis said as many as 4,000 National Guard troops are helping the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Transportation to remove debris ahead of the next storm, and he declared a state of emergency in 35 counties. He said Floridians should prepare for more power outages and disruption.

“All available state assets … are being marshaled to help remove debris,” DeSantis said. “We’re going 24-7 … it’s all hands on deck.”

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said her agency is preparing for Milton and working with Florida “to understand what their requirements are going to be, so we can have those in place before it makes landfall.”

Hurricane Kirk and Hurricane Leslie

The Atlantic hurricane season has become more active as rescuers in the U.S. Southeast continue to search for people unaccounted for in the wake of Hurricane Helene , which left a huge trail of death and catastrophic damage from Florida into the Appalachian mountains.

Out in the Eastern Atlantic, Hurricanes Kirk and Leslie continue to strengthen, heading north in the open waters.

Kirk continues to accelerate northeastward, bringing life-threatening rip currents along the U.S. East Coast. While Leslie is slightly stronger Sunday morning, the hurricane is expected to gradually weaken over the next few days.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.