Tropical Storm Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 1 hurricane Sunday with its path aimed at Florida, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck the state.

Milton grew more powerful and gained hurricane status Sunday as it rolled through the Gulf of Mexico on a track that imperils areas of the Florida Peninsula still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

People across Florida were warned that Milton could rapidly intensify into a major hurricane before slamming into the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast midweek.