Milton is forecast to become a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 145 mph before it makes landfall on Wednesday.

Milton increased to a Category 2 hurricane early Monday as Florida gears up for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years as the storm heads toward major population centers including Tampa and Orlando.

Hurricane Milton strengthened into a Category 3 storm Monday morning — less than 24 hours after forming in the Gulf of Mexico — as it takes aim at the Florida Peninsula mid-week, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.