Milton is now a Category 1 hurricane; DeSantis: 'This is not a good track for the state of Florida'

Following close behind Hurricane Helene and forecast to hit the west coast of the Florida peninsula by midweek, Milton has moved beyond being a tropical storm and has now strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane.

An advisory posted by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. EST stated: "Air Force hurricane hunters find Milton rapidly intensifying into a hurricane."

Swells generated by the system have been impacting the coast of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico throughout the day. Per the NHC, "these swells are expected to spread northward and eastward along much of the Gulf Coast by early next week, and could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," according to Time.

Hurricane and storm surge watches could be required for portions of Florida later on in the day. The NHC is warning that Milton "is forecast to rapidly intensify during the next couple of days and become a major hurricane on Monday."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency on Saturday for 35 counties, writing that the storm will impact “communities still recovering from recent Major Hurricane Helene.” As of Sunday morning, that State of Emergency had been expanded to 51 counties.

“We are using every resource at our disposal to help our local communities to get the debris out…this is all hands on deck,” DeSantis said. “This is not a good track for the state of Florida.”