Florida communities near Tampa Bay were devastated when Hurricane Helene made landfall two weeks ago about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the north
Milton regained Category 5 storm strength Tuesday evening, just a day after becoming one of the strongest hurricanes on record in the Atlantic basin.
The storm, which was once again raised to a Category 5 hurricane Tuesday afternoon, is expected to hit the Tampa Bay region head-on, bringing with it devastating storm surges and high winds to some areas still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida's Big Bend region on September 26 as a Category 4.
When Hurricane Milton reaches Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday, forecasters warn, the immense and powerful storm could generate “life-threatening” storm surge of up to 15 feet in a region that's particularly flood-prone.