Hurricane Milton has become a Category 5 storm today, becoming one of the fastest intensifying storms ever in the history of the Atlantic hurricane season.

“This is almost three times the threshold used. So yeah, this is definitely off the charts,” said Karthik Balaguru, a climate scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Only 2005’s Hurricane Wilma and 2007’s Hurricane Felix strengthened faster, the NHC says.

Climate change makes rapid intensification an increasing risk. Storms that gain strength quickly can give communities less time to prepare. Milton is headed to the west coast of Florida, where many residents are still recovering from the wrath of Hurricane Helene.

According to data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters aircraft, sustained winds in Milton were estimated at 160 miles per hour at 11:55 a.m. ET on Monday, October 7. That puts it in the strongest category of storms – Category 5 – according to the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Wind speeds had reached as much as 175 mph by the NHC’s next update at 2 p.m. ET. Milton also managed to strengthen from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm with the second-fastest speed ever recorded for the Atlantic Ocean, tying Hurricane Maria.

Hurricanes draw power from heat energy at the sea surface. The unusually warm water in the Gulf of Mexico helped give Milton a boost, as it did for Helene just two weeks ago. Both storms rapidly intensified as they approached the coast, taking advantage of low wind shear that could otherwise tear a storm apart before it strengthens.

“This happened. Whether it is the third or 10th most (rapidly intensifying storm) it should not matter,” Balaguru said. “(Milton) fits into this pattern of storms intensifying more rapidly due to climate change. I think this is something people should think about, especially when it happens like this, right before landing.”

The storm is forecast to move near Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula today before approaching Florida on Wednesday. The storm surge could cause up to six feet of flooding along parts of the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. Florida’s Tampa Bay could potentially experience a catastrophic storm surge of 12 feet. Milton could encounter stronger wind shear before hitting Florida’s Gulf Coast, weakening the storm. But the hurricane is still expected to make landfall as a major hurricane “with life-threatening hazards.”

Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida on September 26 as a Category 4 storm, bringing a storm surge of 15 feet (4.5 meters) to the area before cutting a destructive path through the southeastern states as far as North Carolina. razed entire communities to the ground along the way. Milton could prove even more dangerous for Florida in particular, as it barrels toward more populated areas along the state’s west coast.