Hurricane Idalia

KNBC reporter Michelle Valles speaks with an Altadena, Calif., couple as they flee their home as it is surrounded by flames. The couple was evacuated Tuesday, but returned after the home they'd fled to was also placed under evacuation orders.

The storm is expected to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday between St. Petersburg and Sarasota.

NBC News' Priscilla Thompson spoke with Terry Burke, who clutches her rosary and she explains how she evacuated from St. Petersburg to Orlando after Hurricane Helene devastated her home and neighborhood. 

The storm is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday.

The storm, forecast to make landfall Wednesday evening in Florida, is now a Category 5 storm with sustained wind speeds of 175 mph.

It strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just over 24 hours.

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck Florida’s Big Bend coast, Milton appears headed for the state. It could intensify to a Category 4 and make landfall as a Category 3.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Biden urged Congress to restore funding to the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program as it faces potential funding shortfalls.

The storm is headed for the state’s west coast. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday pre-emptively declared a state of emergency for 51 counties.

Elena Gherasim said it was a “huge blessing” to have an urgent care clinic open so close to her home after she unexpectedly needed to seek medical attention for her son.

A week after water levels rose several feet, with some areas nearing the tops of street signs, residents are sorting through the damage and working together to rebuild.