Hurricane Milton has strengthened into a Category 5 storm in the Gulf of Mexico and is heading toward Florida, which was struck by Hurricane Helene just ten days ago, the deadliest U.S. hurricane since Katrina.

According to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Milton has maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour. 

The Miami-based NHC reported that the storm is 736 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, and about 150 miles west of Progreso, Mexico.

The storm could make landfall on Florida's western Gulf Coast as early as Wednesday, Oct. 9.

After making landfall, projections suggest Milton will remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida into the Atlantic Ocean, according to forecasters.

While Milton is expected to be smaller than Helene, with a smaller wind field, it appears to be heading for a much more densely populated area. Storm surge could cause significant problems in some places, according to CBS News senior weather producer David Parkinson.

A stretch of Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, could see surges up to 12 feet above normal water levels if the storm’s timing coincides with high tide, CBS News reports.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued emergency orders to 51 counties, advising Floridians to prepare for more power outages and disruptions, ensuring they have a week’s supply of food and water and are ready to evacuate if necessary.

The storm has undergone "extreme rapid intensification" with winds strengthening by 90 mph in less than 24 hours.

Biggest threat

According to Parkinson, the largest concern is the direction in which Milton is heading towards the coast, at a 90-degree angle. 

"That means that storm surge will be piled into the coast," Parkinson said, comparing it to what happened in New Jersey during Hurricane Sandy.

"If landfall is south of a given location, storm surge will be minimal, rain will be heavy, and any of the worst wind will be confined to the first 25 miles from the eye," Parkinson said. "If landfall is north of a given location, they'll experience catastrophic and historic storm surge, relatively minimal rain, and wind confined to the first 25 miles from the eye. Storm surge will extend southward of the landfall point for the entire west coast."

Parkinson also explained that landfall to the north of Tampa Bay would be especially devastating for that metro area. 

"At least half the model runs to give a St. Pete or north landfall. I cannot think of a worse-case scenario than that for Tampa Bay," he said. "If that comes to fruition, it will be the worst natural disaster Tampa has ever seen. If, however, landfall occurs in Sarasota or south, Tampa will dodge the storm surge, but places like Fort Myers will bear the worst inundation."

Farmers prepare

Locals are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Helene, and debris has become a big concern for authorities which have not been able to clean everything up. 

Sulcata Grove in Sarasota, FL who grow fruit trees, fresh fruit, freeze-dried fruit, and raw honey told Freshfruitportal.com on Monday that they still have debris from the past two hurricanes throughout the area. 

"If we have time, we hope to prune back a couple of trees to help them not uproot with the flooding and wind," Surcata Grove said in en email. "We have bananas, but they are too difficult to protect from hurricane-force winds."