Hurricane Milton upgraded to Category 5 as Florida locals evacuate homes ahead of 160mph winds

People in Florida have been told to prepare to evacuate their homes as Hurricane Milton was upgraded to a category five storm brining 160mph winds - and will arrive this week

Hurricane Milton has built in strength into a category five storm and could bring more carnage to areas of Florida left underwater less than two weeks ago, as a mayor warned it is the "real deal".

Areas of the Sunshine State, including Tampa Bay have been warned of more mass evacuations ahead of its arrival - feared to be Wednesday. Milton - arriving only weeks after deadly Hurricane Helene left more than 200 people dead - will bring winds of 160 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A hurricane warning was issued for parts of Mexico's Yucatan state, and much of Florida's west coast is under hurricane and storm surge watches. Florida's Lake Okeechobee, which often floods during intense rain, also remains under a hurricane watch.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said at a news conference: "This is the real deal here with Milton. If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time."

Milton was a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph on Monday morning over the southern Gulf of Mexico, before it was upgraded to a Category 5 - the highest level of storm. Its centre could come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area, and it could remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean.

It is hoped its path could spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains. Forecasters warned of a possible 8- to 12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay and said flash and river flooding could result from 5 to 10 inches of rain in mainland Florida and the Keys, with as much as 15 inches in places.

The Tampa Bay area is still cleaning up extensive damage from Helene and its powerful surge. Twelve people perished, with the worst damage along a 20-mile (32-kilometer) string of barrier islands from St. Petersburg to Clearwater. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Monday it was imperative messes from Helene be cleared ahead of Milton's arrival so they don't become dangerous flying projectiles.

More than 300 vehicles picked up debris Sunday but encountered a locked landfill gate when they tried to drop it off. State troopers used a rope tied to a pickup truck and busted it open, DeSantis said. He added: "We don't have time for bureaucracy and red tape. We have to get the job done."

Building on lessons learned during Irma and other previous storms, Florida is staging emergency fuel for gas vehicles and charging stations for electric vehicles along evacuation routes, Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said Sunday. He added: "We are preparing ... for the largest evacuation we have seen, most likely since 2017, Hurricane Irma."

Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, ordered evacuations for areas adjacent to Tampa Bay and for all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday night. Sheriff Chad Chronister said: "Yes, this stinks. We know that, and it comes on the heels of where a lot of us are still recovering from Hurricane Helene. But if you safeguard your families, you will be alive."

Milton's center was about 130 miles (210 kilometers) west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and about 720 miles (1,160 kilometers) southwest of Tampa late Monday morning, moving east-southeast at 9mph (15kph), according to the hurricane center.

DeSantis expanded his state of emergency declaration Sunday to 51 counties and said Floridians should prepare for more power outages and disruption, making sure they have a week's worth of food and water and are ready to hit the road.

On beaches in the St. Pete Beach area, where Helene's storm surge flooded homes and businesses, lifeguards removed beach chairs and other items Monday that could become projectiles in hurricane winds. Schools including the University of Central Florida in Orlando announced they would close in the middle of the week, and Walt Disney World said it was monitoring the hurricane but operating normally for the time being.

All road tolls have been suspended in western central Florida. The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said it would close after the last flight Tuesday, and Tampa International Airport said it planned to halt airline and cargo flights starting Tuesday morning.

All classes and school activities in Pinellas County, home to St. Petersburg, have closed Monday through Wednesday, and schools were being converted into shelters. Officials in Tampa freed all city garages to residents hoping to protect their cars from flooding, including electric vehicles. The vehicles must be left on the third floor or higher in each garage.

The coastal Mexican state of Yucatan announced it was cancelling classes in most towns and cities along the coast, after forecasters predicted Milton would brush the northern part of the state. The cancellations included its most heavily populated Gulf coast cities, like Progreso; the capital, Merida; and the natural protected area of Celestun, known for its flamingoes.

It has been two decades since so many storms crisscrossed Florida in such a short period of time. In 2004, an unprecedented five storms struck Florida within six weeks, including three hurricanes. Although Tampa hasn't been hit directly by a hurricane in over a century, other parts of Florida's Gulf Coast are recovering from such storms in the past two years.

The Fort Myers area in southwest Florida is still rebuilding from Hurricane Ian, which caused $112 billion in damage in 2022. Three hurricanes have thrashed Florida's Big Bend region in just 13 months, including Helene. Milton is a bit atypical since it formed so far west and is expected to cross the entire southern Gulf, according to Daniel Brown, a hurricane specialist at the center.

He said: "It's not uncommon to get a hurricane threat in October along the west coast of Florida, but forming all the way in the southwest Gulf and then striking Florida is a little bit more unusual."