Tropical Storm Milton formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday afternoon and is expected to develop into a hurricane later today.

In an advisory on Sunday morning, National Hurricane Center (NHC) meteorologists said Milton could transform into a “major hurricane” as it moves through the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico toward the west coast of Florida, a state recently ravaged by Hurricane Helene. where it is expected to make landfall mid-week.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, from Celestún to Cancun, as well as the Florida Keys and the northwestern Bahamas. Hurricane and storm surge watches will likely be needed for parts of Florida later today, the NHC said.

Where is Tropical Storm Milton and what is its path?

Starting Sunday, 7:00 AM ET:

• Milton was located approximately 555 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico.

• It was located about 860 miles west-southwest of Tampa.

• The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 km per hour.

• The storm was moving eastward, or 90 degrees, at 5 mph (8 km/h) across the Gulf of Mexico.

The risk of “life-threatening consequences” is increasing for portions of the west coast of Florida,” the NHC said Sunday morning. There is also an increasing risk of dangerous storm surge and wind impacts for parts of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula starting late. Tuesday or Wednesday.

Residents in these areas should make sure they have a hurricane plan in place, the center warned in Saturday’s advisory.

Parts of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys can expect rainfall of 5 to 8 inches through Wednesday night, with local totals up to 12 inches. Such rainfall “brings the risk of flash floods, urban and regional flooding, along with minor to moderate river flooding,” meteorologists said.

Meanwhile, the northern Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba can expect 2 to 4 inches of rain.

Outside of Tropical Storm Milton, Hurricane Kirk, currently a Category 3 hurricane, is generating swells that are expected to bring “an increased risk of dangerous surf and rip currents” to the US East Coast in the coming days.

Milton arrives days after Helene

Tropical Storm 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.

After making landfall with winds of 140 miles per hour, the storm moved inland across the Southeast, killing more than 200 people and leaving widespread destruction. After the storm, the state’s infrastructure and emergency services have become scarce. As of Saturday afternoon, thousands of utility customers were still without power in Florida.

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 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a “typical” Atlantic hurricane season typically sees about fourteen so-called storms, “seven of which become hurricanes and three of which become major hurricanes.”

In early October, eight hurricanes 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.

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