Florida is bracing as Hurricane Milton has intensified into a Category 2 storm two days before it’s due to make landfall on the state’s Gulf Coast, where communities are still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Helene.

The Gulf Coast is once again hunkering down, this time ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected mid-week landfall. Pinellas County residents in zones A, B and C are urged to evacuate, with mandatory orders likely to come early this week.