H​urricane Milton has prompted hurricane and storm surge watches to be issued along Florida's western Gulf Coast, where it poses threats of life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds and flooding rainfall by midweek.

I​f you are in an area prone to storm surge you should follow the advice of local officials and evacuate if ordered to do so. This is a serious situation with the National Hurricane Center forecasting a storm surge as much 8 to 12 feet above ground level along the western Florida Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay.

(​MAPS TRACKER: Track the storm here)

H​ere's where hurricane and storm surge alerts are in effect: A hurricane watch is in effect along the entire western Gulf Coast of Florida from Chokoloskee northward to the mouth of the Suwanee River, including Tampa Bay. This means hurricane (sustained winds of 74 mph or higher) conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours

A storm surge watch stretches from Flamingo northward to the Suwannee River, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. This means a life-threatening water rise from storm surge is possible in the area, generally within 48 hours.

H​ere's the latest status on Milton: The hurricane is churning over the Gulf of Mexico 750 miles west-southwest of Tampa. It's currently a Category 2 hurricane and is tracking east-southeast at 8 mph.

H​ere's the latest timing and intensity forecast: Milton is forecast to become a major Category 3 or stronger hurricane by sometime later Monday. It could reach a maximum Category 4 intensity while over the central Gulf of Mexico.

T​he forecast calls for Milton to undergo some weakening on approach to Florida because of increasing wind shear.

H​owever, it's important to note that this possible weakening won't reduce the impacts we see from Milton, including a serious storm surge. Milton could also grow larger on approach to Florida, allowing impacts to sprawl out across a bigger area.

I​mpacts Forecast

Rainfall Flooding: R​ainfall is expected to arrive well in advance of this system's arrival due to a frontal boundary sagging into the region. Scattered heavy rain showers have already begun across Florida on Sunday. Flood watches are already in place for much of the Peninsula.

With the system itself, rainfall in Florida is one impact we expect to see over the next week and it could lead to flooding in some spots. Much of the peninsula should see at least 3 inches of rain, but some spots could see closer to a foot of rainfall.

T​he heaviest rain is expected to arrive by Tuesday or Wednesday on the Florida peninsula.

(For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)

Wind Damage: The current forecast calls for Milton to reach a Category 4 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico before weakening back to a Category 3 hurricane ahead of landfall in Florida.

T​his system has the potential to bring damaging winds to the west-central or southwest Florida coast Tuesday night or on Wednesday, but exactly where those winds will occur and how strong they will be remains a question.

A​ny hurricane preparations or recovery and rebuilding efforts should be finished by Tuesday evening. After that time, those efforts could be dangerous.

How much damage occurs depends on how strong the system gets. While water temperatures are plenty warm for development, w​ind shear over the northern Gulf of Mexico could be one obstacle to the intensification of Milton. Wind shear could begin weakening this system near Florida over the Atlantic, but it is not a guarantee.