Storm strengthens, reaches dangerous Category 4, Florida prepares for massive evacuations

Hurricane Milton has now become a Category 4 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center reported Monday morning. The maximum sustained wind speed is estimated to be around 150 miles per hour.

The Associated Press reports that about 7 million people are now being asked to evacuate Florida, which is still recovering from the devastation left by Hurricane Helene last week. According to the AP, Milton's forecast trajectory suggests it could make landfall in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday evening and remain a hurricane as it continues to move northeast across the state.

In a statement released on Sunday, the White House said that President Biden had been briefed on the situation – including the hurricane's “potential impacts” on Florida's Gulf Coast and the work of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in advance of the storm.

According to the NHC, the Mexican government has issued a hurricane warning for the coast of Mexico from Celestún to Cabo Catoche and a tropical storm warning from Celestún to Cancun. Residents of the Florida Peninsula, Florida Keys and northwestern Bahamas are also being asked to monitor progress.

Where is Hurricane Milton and what path is it taking?

As of Monday morning:

• Milton was about 150 miles west of Progreso, Mexico.

• It was about 735 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida.

• The storm had maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour.

• The storm was moving east-southeast at a speed of 8 miles per hour.

The NHC warned Monday morning of “an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning Tuesday night or early Wednesday.”

“Residents in this area should follow all advice from local authorities and evacuate if ordered to do so,” the NHC said.

Parts of the Florida Peninsula and Florida Keys are expected to see 5 to 10 inches of rainfall through Wednesday night, with localized rainfall totals of up to 15 inches. Such rains pose “the risk of significant flash flooding, urban and regional flooding, as well as the possibility of moderate to severe river flooding,” forecasters said.

Meanwhile, parts of the northern Yucatan Peninsula are expected to experience 5 to 10 cm of rainfall.

Hurricane Kirk has now become a Category 1 hurricane. As of Monday morning, Kirk was about 765 miles from the Azores and moving north-northeast at a speed of 23 miles per hour, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 75 miles per hour. According to the NHC, there are no coast guards or warnings.

Milton arrives days after Helene

Hurricane Milton comes just over a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a monstrous Category 4 storm, causing at least 20 deaths in Florida alone.

After making landfall with winds of 140 miles per hour, the storm moved inland across the Southeast, killing more than 200 people and leaving widespread destruction in its wake. After the storm, the state's infrastructure and emergency services were overwhelmed. As of 5:10 p.m. ET Sunday, over 350,000 utility customers were still without power in Florida.

Read more from Yahoo News: Helene shows that in the age of climate change, hurricanes don't just destroy coastlines

Active hurricane season

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, but the peak of increased activity is usually from August to October. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a “typical” Atlantic hurricane season will typically see about 14 named storms, “of which seven become hurricanes and three become major hurricanes.”

In early October, eight hurricanes formed in the Atlantic – Milton was the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. As CNN notes, hurricane season is moving faster than expected. Normally, the 13th storm of the season would not hit until October 25th at the earliest.

Earlier this week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that FEMA does not have the resources to get through the season. President Biden said this week that Congress may need to pass additional spending legislation in the next few months to fund states' recovery efforts.