Hurricane Milton strengthened into a dangerously powerful hurricane on a path toward Florida population centers, threatening a 12-foot 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.

Florida was bracing Wednesday for Hurricane Milton to make landfall, as officials are warning that it could be the most destructive storm on record to hit the region.

Hurricane Milton churned Wednesday toward a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would st