ATLANTA — Major cities and towns in Georgia and Florida still sorting through the wreckage Hurricane Helene left behind now face a potential worst-case scenario: Another major storm expected to strike the region later this week.

Over the weekend, a disturbance in the western Gulf of Mexico that the National Hurricane Center had been tracking for more than a week coalesced into Tropical Storm Milton, then grew into a hurricane. By midmorning on Monday, Hurricane Milton had rapidly intensified into a powerful, Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 160 mph.

The NHC said in its 11 a.m. Monday update that the storm’s winds increased by about 92 miles per hour in just a day. Only two other storms on record — 2005′s Hurricane Wilma and 2007′s Hurricane Felix — have undergone more extreme rapid intensification, the agency said. Research has linked dramatic increases in hurricane wind speeds to rising global ocean temperatures, which are being driven up mainly by emissions of planet-warming gases from human activity.

As Milton passes over the exceptionally hot waters present in the Gulf over the next day, it could strengthen even more. The NHC says wind shear could weaken the storm slightly on its final approach, but it is still expected to be a major hurricane — Category 3 or stronger — when it makes landfall on Florida’s western Gulf Coast late Wednesday.

Federal forecasters are not certain where the eye of the storm will come onshore, but the NHC’s projections Monday morning showed it could strike anywhere from the Big Bend Region south to Fort Myers, with the major metropolitan area of Tampa Bay being near the center of the forecast track.

Regardless, the storm’s path is expected to take it over the heart of the Florida Peninsula, where lashing winds and heavy rains will have the potential to inflict damage across a huge swath the state, even stretching into South Georgia. Other major population centers that could feel impacts include Sarasota on the western coast, Orlando in the center of the Florida Peninsula, and much of Florida’s eastern coast from Jacksonville to the Fort Pierce area.

For coastal areas, the greatest threat from Milton is likely to be storm surge.

The NHC projects Milton could push a “life-threatening” wall of water measuring 8 to 12 feet into parts of Florida’s west coast, including the flood-prone Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg area. Less than two weeks ago, storm surge from Hurricane Helene killed at least 12 people in the region.

Georgia is expected to dodge the worst from Milton, but cities like Brunswick, Savannah and Valdosta — which are still grappling with power outages and heavy damage from Helene — could again be whipped by tropical storm force winds and 2 to 6 inches of rain, with higher totals possible, forecasters said.

Evacuees flee to Georgia

Metro Atlanta and the rest of north and Middle Georgia is likely to stay dry, but the region could see a flood of evacuees from Florida looking to escape to safety.

Several counties on Florida’s west coast, including around the Tampa area — which is home to more than 3 million people — have already issued mandatory evacuation orders. Tampa International Airport posted on X that it would halt flight operations on Tuesday at 9 a.m. and would not resume until “safe to do so.”

In a post on X Sunday, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency welcomed Floridians to seek refuge in Georgia, but advised evacuees to head to Atlanta, Columbus, Macon and Albany, rather than Augusta, Valdosta and other destinations still reeling from Hurricane Helene.

Gary Wheat, the president and CEO of Visit Macon, said Macon is expecting a large number of evacuees in the coming days, adding that the region is currently “assessing our hotel inventory availability.”

Airlines were also changing policies to help people get out of Milton’s path, with major carriers issuing waivers to allow more flexibility for travelers with flights scheduled to or from certain cities in Florida who want to change their reservations to avoid the storm.

The airlines with waivers include Delta and Southwest, the two largest carriers in Atlanta. Delta Air Lines’ waiver is in effect through Thursday for customers who have flights booked to, from or through Daytona Beach, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Key West, Melbourne, Orlando, Sarasota and Tampa who want to change their travel plans.

Southwest Airlines’ offering is Tuesday to Thursday for customers who have flights booked to, from or through Fort Myers, Orlando, Sarasota/Bradenton and Tampa who want to rebook.

The Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association also has a list of resources for evacuees seeking shelter, along with a list of booking contacts for major hotels in the state.

— Reporters Kelly Yamanouchi and Joe Kovac Jr. contributed to this story.

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