Hurricane Milton strengthened rapidly in the southern Gulf of Mexico on Monday as it skirted the northern edge of the Yucatan peninsula, home to tourist hotspots and cargo ports, with a strike expected on Florida this week.

Life-threatening storm surges are expected to hit Florida's Gulf Coast this week with the arrival of Hurricane Milton, which was upgraded Monday afternoon into a Category 5 hurricane over the southern Gulf of Mexico.

The storm's worst punch was probably two days away but residents of Florida were being urged to take precautions now and check the status of flights.