Hurricane Milton intensifies into Category 4, Florida braces for landfall as mandatory evacuations ordered

This handout satellite image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Regional and Mesoscale Meteorology Branch (RAMMB) shows hurricane Milton churning over the Gulf of Mexico, on October 6, 2024. Storm Milton became a hurricane on October 6, the National Hurricane Center said, as it barrelled toward the western coast of Florida -- still recovering from the aftermath of devastating Hurricane Helene. "Air Force hurricane hunters find Milton rapidly intensifying into a hurricane," the NHC said in an advisory, putting the storm's maximum sustained winds at 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour, classifying it as a Category 1 hurricane. It said the storm was some 815 miles from Tampa, Florida, and could arrive there by midweek as a major hurricane. (Photo by NOAA / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / NOAA / RAMMB" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS