As Hurricane Milton intensified on its path toward Florida's Gulf Coast, the strength of the system increased the severity of the storm surge forecast.

The last time the eye of a major storm like Hurricane Milton directly struck Tampa Bay was 1921 when the city was a sleepy backwater.

Hurricane Milton, already a monster Category 5 storm, continued to strengthen on Monday and now packs sustained winds of 180 mph as it remains on course to make landfall on Florida's west coast by Wednesday.