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,

Hurricane Milton strengthened on Sunday night into a Category 1 storm, with wind speeds reaching 85 mph, as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

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.