Hurricane Milton remained a dangerous Category 4 storm Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph — just below Category 5 status — as it moved closer to landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast, which is still reeling from Helene .

“Milton is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane as it reaches the west-central coast of Florida this evening,” the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. ET bulletin, warning that damaging winds and a “life-threatening” storm surge are developing will expand. well outside the forecast zone.

The center of the storm is expected to make landfall in the Tampa area late Wednesday or early morning hours of Thursday and move east to northeast across central Florida on Thursday.

Hurricane Milton live updates: Category 4 storm will make landfall Wednesday evening

“Milton will remain a very dangerous hurricane as it reaches Florida,” the hurricane center said, “and maintain hurricane status as it moves through the state.”

A state of emergency is in effect in 51 provinces of the state, while millions of people have been issued evacuation orders.

The storm is one of only 40 hurricanes on record to have escalated to a Category 5 level in the Atlantic Ocean, and one of seven hurricanes to go from a Category 1 rating to a Category 5 in 24 hours or less. Federal Emergency Management Agency officials described Milton as the third-fastest growing storm on record in the Atlantic Ocean, behind Hurricanes Wilma (2005) and Felix (2007).

Where is Hurricane Milton and what is its path?

From Wednesday 9am ET:

• Milton was about 115 miles west of the Dry Tortugas.

• It was located about 230 miles southwest of Tampa.

• The storm had maximum sustained winds of 155 mph.

• The storm was moving northeast at a speed of 16 miles per hour.

The NHC warned that “a large area of ​​destructive storm surge” will occur along portions of Florida’s west coast.

“This is an extremely life-threatening situation and residents in those areas should heed the advice of local officials and evacuate immediately if instructed to do so,” the hurricane center said.

In some areas, a storm surge of up to 15 meters is possible.

Meanwhile, parts of the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys can expect rainfall of 5 to 10 inches, with local totals of up to 15 inches through Wednesday night. Such rainfall brings “the risk of significant flooding, urban and regional flooding, along with the possibility of moderate to major river flooding,” meteorologists said.

Watches and warnings

Starting at 8 a.m. ET on Wednesday, a hurricane warning is in effect for:

• The west coast of Florida, from Bonita Beach north to the Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay

• The east coast of Florida from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line north to Ponte Vedra Beach

A ‘hurricane warning’ means hurricane conditions are expected in the area. Precautions and preparation for people and property must be completed.

A hurricane watching is in effect for:

• The west coast of Florida, from Chokoloskee to south of Bonita Beach

• Rio Lagartos to Cabo Catoche

• Dry Tortugas

• Lake Okeechobee

A “hurricane watch” means that hurricane conditions are possible within the areas and is typically issued 48 hours before the hurricane is expected to strike.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for:

• All Florida Keys, including Dry Tortugas and Florida Bay

• Lake Okeechobee

• The west coast of Florida, from Flamingo to south of Bonita Beach

• West coast of Florida, from north of the mouth of the Suwanee River to Indian Pass

• East coast of Florida, south of the Indian River/St. Lucie County line to Flamingo

• The east coast of Florida, north from Ponte Vedra Beach to the Savannah River

• Extreme northwestern Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos and Bimini

A ‘Tropical Storm Warning’ means tropical storm conditions are expected in the areas within the next 36 hours.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for:

• Coast of Georgia and South Carolina, north of St. Mary’s River to South Santee River

• Extreme northwestern Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos and Bimini

A ‘tropical storm watch’ means tropical storm conditions are possible in the areas within the next 48 hours.

A storm surge warning is in effect for:

• The west coast of Florida, from Flamingo north to Yankeetown, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor

• The east coast of Florida, from Sebastian Inlet, Florida, to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, including the St. Johns River

A ‘storm surge warning’ means there is a life-threatening flood risk over the next 36 hours.

A watching storm surge is in effect for:

• North from Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to Edisto Beach, SC

A “storm surge watch” means that there is a risk of life-threatening flooding.

Evacuation orders

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Florida Division of Emergency Management had ordered mandatory evacuations for people living in evacuation zones in 13 Florida counties, and voluntary evacuations for eight others.

Mandatory evacuations are in effect for:

• Charlotte County

• Citrus province

• Collier County

• Hernando County

• Hillsborough County

• Lee County

• Levy County

• Manatee County

• Pasco County

• Pinellas County

• Sarasota County

• St. John’s County

• Volusia County

Voluntary evacuations are in effect for:

• Dixie County

• Gilchrist County

• Glades County

• Hardee County

• Lake County

• Miami Dade County

• Okeechobee County

• Union Province

To find out if you live in an evacuation area, click here.

Milton arrives days after Helene

Hurricane Milton comes just over a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a monstrous Category 4 storm, causing at least 20 deaths in Florida alone.

During a news conference Monday afternoon, FEMA noted that the agency will not yet divert personnel already working in areas affected by Hurricane Helene into Milton’s path.

After making landfall with winds of 140 miles per hour, Helene moved inland across the southeast, killing more than 200 people and causing widespread destruction. After the storm, Florida’s infrastructure and emergency services are stretched thin.

Read more from Yahoo News: Helene shows that in the age of climate change, hurricanes don’t just destroy coastlines

Active hurricane season

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, but the peak of increased activity is usually from August to October. According to NOAA, a “typical” Atlantic hurricane season will usually see about fourteen named storms, “seven of which become hurricanes and three of which become major hurricanes.”

By early October, eight hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic Ocean, with Milton becoming the thirteenth storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. As CNN notes, hurricane season is ahead of the expected schedule. Normally, the 13th storm of the season wouldn’t hit until October 25.

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that FEMA did not have the resources to get through the season. President Biden said last week that Congress may need to pass a supplemental spending bill in the coming months to help fund states’ recovery efforts.