TAMPA, FL — 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 area ahead 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.

When will Milton make landfall and how strong will it be?

Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf coast late Wednesday or early Thursday.

“We must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of Florida,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.

As of Wednesday morning, the storm was about 300 miles (485 kilometers) southwest of Tampa with sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph).

“A northeastward motion with some increase in forward speed is expected” through Wednesday night, the hurricane center said.

President Joe Biden, who postponed an overseas trip so he could remain at the White House to monitor Milton, warned that it “could be one of the worst storms in 100 years to hit Florida.”

With the storm expected to remain fairly strong as it crosses Florida, hurricane warnings were extended early Tuesday to parts of the state’s east coast.

How bad is damage expected to be?

Florida’s Gulf Coast is especially vulnerable to storm surge.

Helene came ashore about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Tampa in the Florida Panhandle and still managed to cause drowning deaths in the Tampa area due to surges that were about 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.5 meters) above normal tide levels.

With Milton, forecasters warn of a possible 10- to 15-foot (3- to 4.5-meter) storm surge in Tampa Bay. It is the highest surge ever predicted for that location and has led to evacuation orders for communities all along the coast.

The county that’s home to Tampa ordered areas adjacent to the bay and all mobile and manufactured homes to be evacuated by Tuesday night. With a predicted storm surge that could swallow a single-story house, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued increasingly dire warnings Tuesday to those planning to ride out the storm: “So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in.”

Milton is forecast to cross central Florida and dump as much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain while heading toward the Atlantic Ocean, according to the hurricane center.

Theme parks, airport close

Orlando’s tourism machine began grinding to a halt Tuesday with at least three major theme parks and the main airport announcing closures ahead of the storm. 

Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld will close their theme parks and respective entertainment facilities on Wednesday, with the latter two also closed on Thursday and Disney likely to remain closed. Universal also cancelled Halloween Horror Nights scheduled for both days.

The theme parks join Orlando International Airport, which said it would cease operations Wednesday morning. The airport is the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked.

Disney World had said earlier in the day that it was open and planned only to close its campgrounds and rental cabins ahead of the storm.

The only indication at Disney Springs that a hurricane was coming had been the closure of a hot air balloon ride. “Closed due to hurricane,” an electronic sign read. “Stay safe.”

All the other stores and restaurants in the outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex inside the resort were open and doing brisk business.

The Orlando area is the most visited destination in the United States due to Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and other theme parks, attracting 74 million tourists last year alone.

October is also among the busier times for theme parks because of Halloween-related celebrations, which have become major money generators over the past couple decades. Universal Orlando hosts “Halloween Horror Nights,” with ghoulish haunted houses based on slasher films and other pop culture horror, and Disney has its tamer “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.”