FORT MYERS BEACH, Florida — Florida's Gulf Coast braced Tuesday for the impact of Hurricane Milton's near-record winds and expected massive storm surge, which could bring destruction to areas already reeling from Helene's devastation 12 days ago and still recovering from Ian's wrath two years ago.

Almost the entirety of Florida's west coast was under a hurricane warning early Tuesday as the Category 5 storm and its 165 mph (265 kph) winds crept toward the state at 9 mph (14 kph), sucking energy from the Gulf of Mexico's warm water. The strongest Atlantic hurricane on record is 1980's Allen, which reached wind speeds of 190 mph (306 kph) as it moved through the Caribbean and Gulf before striking Texas and Mexico.