Hurricane Milton was expected to expand in size today as it chugged past Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula en route to Florida’s battered Gulf Coast, where more than 1 million people were ordered to evacuate before the monster storm arrived.

Milton rapidly strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and was forecast to become a Category 5 storm on a path toward Florida, threatening a dangerous 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.

Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 4 storm on Tuesday as it grinded past Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula en route to Florida's Gulf Coast where over 1 million people were ordered to evacuate. Parts of Florida are still recovering from Hurricane Helene,