"Milton has the potential to become one of Florida’s most damaging and costly hurricanes," AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter said, with life-threatening dangers including an extreme storm surge of 10-15 feet and destructive winds.

Florida is bracing as Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 1 storm on Sunday, days before it’s expected to make landfall on the state’s Gulf Coast where communities are still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Helene.