Hurricane Milton strengthened as it churned through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida on Tuesday and could wallop one of the state’s major population centers with huge storm surges, lashing rain and destructive winds just two weeks after deadly Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.

Milton spread destruction across Florida overnight, whipping up tornadoes in areas not accustomed to such ferocity and cutting power for more than 3.3 million energy customers. The storm killed at least 12 people and put 11 million at risk of flooding.