Milton upgraded to a hurricane, takes aim at Florida's west coast

Milton was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Sunday afternoon as it churned in the Gulf of Mexico on a path to slam Florida's west coast later this week, as areas devastated by Hurricane Helene race to clear debris ahead of the new storm, officials said.

The National Hurricane Center upgraded Milton to a Category 1 hurricane in a 2 p.m. ET advisory.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Milton is currently forecast to make landfall in the Madeira Beach area of Pinellas County around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, adding that the forecasted path of the storm could change over the next few days.

Milton has been rapidly intensifying on Sunday and is forecast to continue strengthening on Monday.

The storm is sitting over an area of the Gulf that is ripe for intensification with tranquil wind shear and water temperatures of 85 to 88 degrees, giving the storm all the ingredients it needs to potentially become a beast.

The National Hurricane Center forecast currently has Milton reaching Category 3 hurricane status late Monday.

The governor said Milton is expected to be a "major hurricane when it makes landfall." He predicted that the storm surge could be more devastating than what occurred when Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 27 in the Big Bend area of north Florida. Helene swept through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, and killed more than 230 people.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, ABC News' "Good Morning America" is set to provide five days of special coverage titled "Southeast Strong: Help After Helene" (#SoutheastStrongABC), spotlighting communities across the Southeast impacted by Hurricane Helene and the urgent efforts to help them recover.

Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said Sunday that the state is preparing for what could be the largest evacuation since 2017's Hurricane Irma.

Guthrie said state officials have been tracking and preparing for Milton for the last 14 days.

On Saturday, DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 35 counties along Florida's west coast in advance of the storm. He encouraged residents to start preparing now for Milton by replenishing their supplies of gas and non-perishable food depleted during Hurricane Helene.

DeSantis said crews, including 800 members of the state National Guard, are working to clear tons of debris left by Helene. He said he ordered landfills to remain open 24 hours a day to expedite the cleanup in advance of Milton's arrival.

DeSantis said an additional 4,000 National Guard members will be deployed to clear debris once Milton hits.

Milton is expected to strengthen into a hurricane as early as Monday.

The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed on Tropical Storm Milton on Sunday morning.

"The president was briefed on its potential impacts to the Florida Gulf Coast, and the work FEMA is doing to preposition lifesaving resources in advance of the storm," the White House said.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm might make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane or stronger.

The NHC is urging residents along the west coast of Florida to have a hurricane plan and stay updated on the forecast as it evolves.

A separate system is already saturating Florida with 2 to 5 inches of rain this weekend, so by the time Milton reaches Florida, the flood threat will be increased substantially.

Five-day rain totals could reach 10 inches or more in Florida by the time Milton leaves the state.

Storm surge and wind damage could also be dangerous along Florida's west coast.