“As Tropical Storm Milton continues to strengthen in the Gulf, I have issued EO [Executive Order] 24-214 ahead of potential landfall on Florida's west coast this week. This EO declares a state of emergency in 35 Florida counties,” DeSantis wrote on X.
Currently, Milton is “moving slowly but expected to strengthen rapidly,” NHC reported earlier in the day, saying that the risk of life-threatening impacts was increasing for Florida's west coast.
The meteorologists advised Florida residents to make a hurricane action plan, adding that heavy rains that could cause flooding might begin as early as Sunday.
On Saturday, US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the tropical storm had formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico which might turn into a hurricane and hit Florida next week.
A tropical storm is given a name when the speed of the accompanying wind reaches 62 kilometers (38 miles) per hour. The storm becomes a hurricane when the wind speed exceeds 119 kilometers per hour.