Not even two weeks after Hurricane Helene swamped the Florida coastline, Milton has strengthened rapidly into a Category 5 hurricane on a path toward the state. The system is threatening the densely populated Tampa metro area — which has a population of more than 3.

Milton intensified quickly Monday over the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 180 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified Monday morning, strengthening from a Category 4 to a dangerous Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of around 180 mph as it took aim at the Florida Gulf Coast, which is still reeling from Helene's record-breaking landfall just over a week ago.