Milton rapidly strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane Monday in the Gulf of Mexico, on a path toward the U.S. state of Florida, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and leading to evacuation orders and long gas lines.

The storm adds urgency to the cleanup from Hurricane Helene, which swamped the same stretch of coastline less than two weeks ago.

Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center, said at a Monday press briefing that Hurricane Milton will bring maximum winds of up to approximately 233 kilometers per hour when it is expected to impact on Wednesday, along with a storm surge as high as about 4.6 meters.

Milton is forecast to weaken to a Category 3 storm as it hits Florida's west coast on Wednesday evening. After landfall, the storm will barrel across Florida, passing through major cities like Tampa and Orlando overnight into Thursday, according to forecasters.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cautioned residents not to rely on the storm weakening, emphasizing that Milton will cause significant destruction regardless.

The first hurricane and storm surge warnings were sent via email to residents in Pinellas, Manatee, Pasco, Charlotte, Citrus and Hillsborough counties.

The warnings indicated that Milton's impacts could be "devastating to catastrophic," noting that even sturdy buildings could suffer complete roof and wall failures, leaving some areas "uninhabitable for weeks or months."

Residents were urged to follow checklists from local or state emergency management departments to ensure they are prepared.

(With input from AP and Reuters)