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TAMPA, Fla. - Hurricane Milton is a Category 1 storm that could become a major hurricane as it moves across the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico.
According to the National Hurricane Center, air force hurricane hunters found that Milton was "rapidly intensifying into a hurricane." The NHC says the risk of life-threatening impacts is increasing for parts of the Florida west coast.
When will Milton hit Florida?
As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Milton is located at 22.5°N 94.0°W moving at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
Hurricane Milton is located more than 800 miles west-southwest of Tampa.
The storm is expected to reach Florida on Wednesday, but waves of heavy rain are forecast starting Sunday, especially in Central and South Florida.
The National Hurricane Center expects the Category 1 storm to make landfall around the Tampa metro as a Category 3 hurricane.
How much rain is expected?
The heaviest rainfall is forecast to be from the I-4 corridor and southward, where a widespread area could see 5–8 inches of rainfall over the next week. Some areas may get almost a foot of rain.
Much of the rain will be spread out over several days, so widespread flooding is not expected, but issues could arise where thunderstorms repeatedly move over the same region.
FOXWeather.com contributed to this story.
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