Hurricane Milton is forecast to become a Category 5 and is taking aim for Florida

Milton rapidly strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and was forecast to become a Category 5 storm on a path toward Florida, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and setting the stage for potential mass evacuations less than two weeks after a catastrophic Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline. A hurricane warning was issued for parts of Mexico's Yucatan state, and much of Florida's west coast was under hurricane and storm surge watches. Florida's Lake Okeechobee, which often