Tropical storm Milton is strengthening Sunday over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and forecasters warned it is expected to become a hurricane and slam into the west coast of Florida later this week. According to the 11 a.m. bulletin of the National Hurricane Center, the center of Tropical Storm Milton is moving toward the east-southeast near 6 mph (9 km/h). An eastward to east-northeastward motion is forecast on Monday, followed by a faster northeastward motion on Tuesday and Wednesday. Milton isforecast to move north of the Yucatan Peninsula and to move across the Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula by midweek. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 65 mph (100 km/h) with higher gusts.  Milton is forecast to rapidly intensify during the next couple of days and become a hurricane later today and a major hurricane late Monday. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches, with localized totals up to 12 inches, are expected across portions of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys through Wednesday night. Which brings the risk of locally considerable flash, urban, and areal flooding, along with widespread minor to moderate river flooding with major flooding possible. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 51 counties ahead of the storm’s potential landfall. Since many of those counties are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, DeSantis asked the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Transportation to coordinate all available resources and personnel to supplement local communities as they expedite debris removal. A tropical storm watch is in effect now from Celestun to Cancun, in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The NHC said the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys and the northwestern Bahamas should monitor the system’s progress. “There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday. Residents in these areas should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place, follow any advice given by local officials, and check back for updates to the forecast,” the center said. Governor Ron DeSantis increased the number of Florida counties under a state of emergency from 35 to 51 on Sunday ahead of the Milton’s impact. DeSantis issued Executive Order (EO) 24-214, Emergency Management – Tropical Storm Milton on Saturday evening only including 35 counties, now 16 more have been added under precaution to what is expected to be a “catastrophic major hurricane.” Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe counties are all included. For the full list of counties under state of emergency, click here. Miami-Dade Mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, shared in her X account that “crews are hard at work clearing storm drains, ensuring pumps are ready and focusing on areas prone to flooding.” FDOT also shared through their X account that under Gov. DeSantis’ direction, they have “activated available state personnel and resources to supplement local communities … in preparation for Tropical Storm Milton.” This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.