Milton strengthens into a Category 3 hurricane as Florida prepares for massive evacuations

Milton has strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane as Florida gears up for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years. The major hurricane is moving over the Gulf of Mexico and headed toward population centers including Tampa and Orlando. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Monday it has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. 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.