Hurricane Milton strengthened on Sunday night into a Category 1 storm, with wind speeds reaching 85 mph, as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Milton’s forecast cone covers almost the entire west coast of Florida as the state prepared for the largest mass evacuation since 2017. Milton could be a major hurricane when it

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.