Milton strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane Monday as Florida gears up for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years as the storm headed toward population centers including Tampa and Orlando. The storm was major hurricane as it moved over the Gulf of Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (193 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Milton could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. It comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck, causing deaths and catastrophic damage from Florida into the Appalachian Mountains. Hurricane Milton was strengthening over the southern Gulf of Mexico as storm surge and hurricane watches for parts of Florida and a hurricane warning for the Mexican coast were issued, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm-ravaged Gulf Coast in Florida was expected to hit again. MORE: https://www.wthr.com/article/news/nation-world/milton-strengthens-into-a-category-3-hurricane/507-ce842603-5ed0-427b-b25e-8abe8f1b81bc