Milton strengthens to category 5 hurricane, US NHC says

Hurricane Milton building strength in the Gulf of Mexico

(Reuters) – Milton has rapidly intensified into a category 5 hurricane, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday.

Milton is located about 735 miles (1175 km) southwest of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (250 kph), the Miami-based forecaster said.

(Reporting by Anushree Mukherjee in Bengaluru)