Tropical Storm Milton is on the move and currently over the western Gulf of Mexico. The tropical system is likely to gain steam early this week with its access to very warm water and favorable (light) wind shear. As a result, the storm is forecast to become a Hurricane as early as Monday. Then, over the central Gulf, Milton should intensify even more on Tuesday when it could become a major Category 3 system with winds between 115 and 120 mph. The system is being directed to the east (with a veer to the northeast) in response to upper steering currents likely to continue pushing Milton towards Florida’s Gulf coast. Most forecast models (as of Saturday evening) are in fair agreement with some small differences in timing. For now, the Forecast Cone is still quite broad and extends from Naples northward, all the way to the Big Bend vicinity. Of course, as we’ve seen time and again, significant impacts can occur far outside the actual Cone, so all of Florida needs to be on guard! Gusty squalls should become more frequent as Milton approaches from the west and gets stronger with a larger wind field during the early to middle part of the week. The most likely timing for impacts will be from Tuesday through Wednesday (with projected landfall sometime during the day, on Wednesday). It’s worth noting that all of south Florida is currently under a Flood Watch as the tropical system draws closer. The potential for dangerous flooding will last until Thursday morning. Keep up with Advisories as we track Milton!