TAMPA, Fla. – Florida’s Gulf Coast is under a hurricane watch and storm surge watch as Hurricane Milton continues to gain strength and intensify into a major Category 4 storm in the Gulf of Mexico.

At 9 a.m. Monday, Hurricane Milton was located at 21.7 N and 92.0 W.

It was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour and moving from east to southeast at a speed of 8 miles per hour.

Hurricane Milton strengthened into a major Category 4 storm Monday morning and is expected to continue to intensify before encountering wind shear over the Gulf of Mexico. Landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast is expected Wednesday.

According to the National Hurricane Center, wind shear will cause Milton to weaken before landfall late Wednesday. Upon landfall, which will happen on the west coast of Florida, it could remain a major hurricane.

Before Milton, Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 51 Florida counties, including all counties in the Tampa Bay Area.

Watches and warnings

Hurricane Milton: county-by-county guide

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Florida’s Gulf Coast from Chokoloskee to the mouth of the Suwanee River, including Tampa Bay.

Much of Florida’s Gulf Coast is under a hurricane watch.

A Storm Surge Watch was also issued for Florida’s Gulf Coast from Flamingo north to the Suwannee River, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay.

Much of Florida’s Gulf Coast is under a storm surge watch ahead of Milton.

Tropical Storm Watches have also been issued for Florida’s Gulf Coast.

A Flood Watch is in effect for the entire Tampa Bay area, most of Central Florida and all of South Florida.

The entire Tampa Bay area is under a flood watch through Thursday morning, along with much of Central Florida and all of South Florida.

When will the impacts be felt in the Bay Area?

Hurricane Milton: Mandatory evacuations begin in the Tampa Bay Area

Some areas will see heavy rainfall on Monday and Tuesday, which FOX 13 meteorologists say is not directly related to Milton.

Rain from Milton will likely arrive Wednesday and continue into Thursday before the storm dissipates.

Hurricane Milton is expected to have significant impacts on the Tampa Bay area, with several inches of widespread rain likely.

Depending on the exact path Milton takes, the heaviest rainfall over the next week is expected to occur from the I-4 corridor and southward, with several inches – up to a foot in some areas – likely.

Hurricane Milton: Bay Area schools close due to storm

As for other significant impacts, such as winds and life-threatening storm surges, FOX 13 meteorologist Dave Osterberg says the point of landfall will be critical in determining where the worst of Milton is felt.

Models are divided on where exactly Hurricane Milton will make landfall, but all agree it will happen on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

“While we have some answers today, we don’t have others,” Osterberg said. “What I can’t answer is where exactly it will make landfall and how much it will weaken before it makes landfall.”

FOX 13 Chief Meteorologist Paul Dellegatto warns that even if Milton weakens before landfall, it will not reduce the storm surge. The landfall point in the south is where the largest wave will occur.

Coastal portions of the Bay Area could receive a storm surge of 8 to 10 feet, with the southern landfall point seeing the worst of the surge.

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