Meteorologist Dr. Ryan Truchelut, of Tallahassee-based WeatherTiger, is tracking Category 5 Hurricane Milton ahead of a catastrophic collision with the Florida peninsula.

Florida officials implored Gulf Coast residents to follow evacuation orders and utilities prepared for widespread power outages as Hurricane Milton strengthened into a Category 5 storm Monday.

Florida "does not rely on FEMA for preparation, rescue, or response," DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern told Newsweek.

Amid dire warnings and predictions of giant storm surges, Floridians puzzled over how far to flee was far enough — or whether to flee at all.

Waffle House announced closures of several Florida restaurants ahead of Hurricane Milton's predicted landfall on Wednesday night.

With a little more than a day before landfall, meteorologist Dr. Ryan Truchelut of WeatherTiger will break down Milton's threats in a live video forecast at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Not even two weeks after Hurricane Helene swamped the Florida coastline, Milton has strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane on a path toward the state

As Hurricane Milton approaches landfall in Florida this week, the National Hurricane Center is releasing a series of data sets to help warn the public of the risks. Storm surge is one of the deadliest aspects of a strong hurricane as it approaches land.