Florida is no stranger to the dangers of a tropical system, and like a tired but well-oiled machine, the gears are in motion to prepare residents ahead of Milton's arrival.

Millions of people across the Florida Peninsula are on alert as Hurricane Milton is rapidly intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico while it continues on a path toward the Sunshine State, where it’s expected to bring a potentially life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and torrential rain to the state this week.

Tropical Storm Milton is rapidly organizing in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting it to reach hurricane strength by Monday, and the consensus of the computer forecast models concurs. The atmospheric pattern over the southern Gulf for the next couple of days appears very conducive for Milton to intensify….

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook the Los Angeles area early Sunday morning.

Milton is expected to be a powerful hurricane when it approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast. Depending on the exact landfall location, communities near the hurricane’s core and southward have the potential to see the largest storm surge in their modern history.

Direct Relief reports sending more than 2,000 EpiPen shots to the Tar Heel State to help cope with the potential for bee stings. Beekeepers warn that bees usually become more defensive during the fall as they protect their hives. During the winter, bee activity is usually minimal before foraging and reproduction start up again…