What to know as Hurricane Milton churns toward Florida’s Gulf Coast

Hurricane Milton strengthened as it churned through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida on Wednesday and could wallop one of the state's major population centers with huge storm surges, lashing rain and destructive winds just two weeks after deadly Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.

Milton, which returned to Category 5 status on Tuesday afternoon, is threatening the Tampa Bay area, which is home to more than 3.3 million people and has managed to evade a direct hit from a major hurricane for more than 100 years. Milton is also menacing other stretches of Florida's west coast that were battered when Helene came ashore on Sept. 26.

Traffic was thick Wednesday as people fled the Tampa areaahead of Milton. As they evacuated, crews along the coast hurried to clear Helene's debris so that Milton doesn't turn it into dangerous projectiles.

National Hurricane Center forecasters warned that Milton is “expected to be a dangerous major hurricane” when it reaches the Florida coast.

RELATED STORY: Milton could be the first major hurricane to hit Tampa Bay since 1921