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 returned to Category 5 status on Tuesday afternoon. It 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 hit on September 26.

Traffic was thick on 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 didn'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 on Wednesday or early Thursday.

As of Wednesday morning, the storm was about 480 kilometers southwest of Tampa with sustained winds of nearly 260 km/h.

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.

Why are scientists saying this is a weird storm season?

Milton is just the latest system in a storm season that scientists say is the weirdest they've ever seen.

Forecasters were predicting a busy Atlantic hurricane season before it started, and it began when Beryl became the earliest storm on record to reach Category 5 status. But from August 20 to September 23, it was record quiet, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Then, five hurricanes popped up between September 26 and October 6, more than double the record of two. On Sunday and Monday, there were three hurricanes in October at the same time, which has never happened before, Klotzbach said. In just 46.5 hours, Hurricane Milton went from forming as a tropical storm with 60 km/h winds to a top-of-the-charts Category 5 hurricane.

With hurricanes disrupting the lives of millions in the U.S., some might wonder if it's possible to control extreme weather events. But scientists say hurricanes are far too powerful for that, and climate change is providing more fuel than ever for storms like Helene and Milton.

How bad is damage expected to be?

Florida's Gulf Coast is especially vulnerable to storm surges.

Helene came ashore about 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 1.5 to 2.4 meters above normal tide levels.

With Milton, forecasters warn of a possible 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.

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

What if I have travel plans to Florida?

Tampa International Airport halted flights on Tuesday morning. The nearby St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said it is in a mandatory evacuation zone and closed after the last flight left on Tuesday. It said all flights were canceled Wednesday and Thursday.

The tourism machine in Orlando, about 135 kilometers inland from Tampa, started grinding to a halt Tuesday. Orlando International Airport—the nation's seventh busiest and Florida's most trafficked—said it would cease operations Wednesday morning. And at least three major theme parks, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld, will close, with the latter two also remaining closed on Thursday and Disney likely to follow suit.

Is it difficult to get gas?

The hunt for gasoline has been compounding the stress for some Floridians.

On Tuesday, there were long lines and empty pumps at some Florida gas stations as they struggled to keep up with demand.

The hunt for gasoline was another nerve-wracking task for people preparing for a major hurricane. About 17.4 percent of Florida stations were out of fuel as of Tuesday evening. More than 46 percent of the stations in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area had no gasoline as of Tuesday evening, according to GasBuddy.

Ned Bowman, a spokesman for the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association, said the situation was typical for a Florida hurricane, with demand peaking and some stations temporarily running dry. He said suppliers are "constantly" moving fuel to stations.

How was Mexico affected?

As Milton made its way toward Florida, authorities in the Mexican state of Yucatan reported only minor storm damage. Power lines, light poles and trees were knocked down near the coast, and some small thatched roof structures were destroyed, according to Yucatan Governor Joaquin Diaz. He did not report any deaths or injuries.

(Cover: A thunderstorm seen moving over Tampa in the distance from St. Petersburg ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall on Florida, the U.S., October 8, 2024. /CFP)