Milton becomes hurricane on path to storm-battered Florida: NHC

Miami, United States (AFP) – Storm Milton became a hurricane Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said, as it barrelled toward the western coast of Florida — still recovering from the aftermath of devastating Hurricane Helene.

“Air Force hurricane hunters find Milton rapidly intensifying into a hurricane,” the NHC said in an advisory, putting the storm’s maximum sustained winds at 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour, classifying it as a Category 1 hurricane.

It said the storm was some 815 miles from Tampa, Florida, and could arrive there by midweek as a major hurricane.

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