Hurricane Milton – live: Florida warned ‘once in a lifetime’ storm on its way amid Helene cleanup

Hurricane Milton could become a "historic, once-in-a-lifetime storm for Floridians", according to AccuWeather.

As Milton barrels towards Florida's Gulf Coast, it could bring some of the most catastrophic impacts seen in modern history, particularly in the densely populated Tampa Bay area, the private forecaster has said.

"Milton has the potential to become one of Florida’s most damaging and costly hurricanes," AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter said, with life-threatening dangers including an extreme storm surge of 10-15 feet and destructive winds.

AccuWeather experts have rated Milton a 4 out of 5 on their RealImpact Scale for Hurricanes.

The storm's path remains uncertain, but slight variations could drastically change its impact, meteorologists said.

If Milton tracks further south, areas already devastated by Hurricane Ian’s storm surge, such as Fort Myers and Naples, could face even more destruction.

A more northern path, however, could result in storm surges as high as 20 feet in parts of Tampa Bay.

AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva warned that debris left from Hurricane Helene could become deadly during Milton’s landfall, urging residents to heed evacuation orders.

Florida is bracing for its largest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017 as Hurricane Milton barrels towards the state’s western coast.

Kevin Guthrie, director of Florida's emergency management division, asked people to prepare for the "largest evacuation that we have seen most likely since 2017 Hurricane Irma".

"I highly encourage you to evacuate," he said at a press conference.

Officials are warning that more than 500,000 residents of Pinellas County, including St Petersburg, may be ordered to evacuate starting Monday as the storm intensifies.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told a press conference that these could be mandatory evacuation orders as too many people ignored the orders for Helene, resulting in 12 deaths in the county and 1,500 emergency calls that were unable to be answered.

Evacuations of hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities have already begun, affecting over 6,600 patients, while schools are set to close early this week.

Hurricane Milton, projected to make landfall near the densely populated Tampa Bay area by Wednesday, could bring devastating storm surges and widespread destruction to regions still recovering from Hurricane Helene.

Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified yesterday in the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening from a tropical storm into a Category 1 hurricane, according to the US National Hurricane Centre.

Milton's sustained winds reached 85 mph (140 kmph), and it was located approximately 780 miles (1,255 km) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, moving eastwards at 7 mph (11 kmph).

Forecasters warned that the storm could continue to intensify over the next few days, potentially reaching major hurricane status before making landfall along Florida's western coast by mid-week.

Welcome to The Independent’s live blog tracking the intensifying Hurricane Milton. Stay tuned for the latest updates!