Milton increased to a Category 2 hurricane early Monday as Florida gears up for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years as the storm heads toward major population centers including Tampa and Orlando.

Hurricane Milton was continuing to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico and was forecast to become a major hurricane later Monday as it inched toward a midweek landfall along the west coast of Florida, where residents are still reeling from the impacts of Hurricane Helene,

At 5 a.m. Monday, the new forecast track calls for Hurricane Milton to reach the Florida west coast between 60 to 72 hours, making landfall between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.