Communities in Florida are preparing to get hit head-on by a potential Category 3 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico days after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the state – killing 20 people, leaving thousands without power and paving a trail of wreckage.

A total of 22 people have been reported dead due to Hurricane Helene in the state of Florida, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement told 8 On Your Side.

Out in Florida and all across the Southern US, damage from Hurricane Helene has left hundreds of thousands without power and over 220 people dead.

A week after Hurricane Helene overwhelmed the Southeastern U.S., homeowners hit the hardest are grappling with how they could possibly pay for the flood damage from one of the deadliest storms in rece

The current forecast calls for the storm to strengthen to a high-end Category 2 hurricane by the time it reaches Florida, with 110 mph sustained winds. A Category 3 isn’t out of the question, as the initial forecast is on the cusp of category 3, and forecasters wrote that “some upward adjustments may be required.”

Track Saturday's forecast for what forecasters predict will become Hurricane Milton. A developing storm in the Gulf of Mexico promises to bring heavy, potentially flooding rain to Florida starting Sunday and lasting into much of next week.

Tropical Storm Milton officially formed Saturday afternoon, and the National Hurricane Center said it could strengthen into a hurricane as soon as Monday. The National Hurricane Center’s first cone of uncertainty for Milton puts it on an eastward path through the Gulf of Mexico and into Florida’s west coast on Wednesday — a second blow for a region still catching its breath from the devastating Category 4 Hurricane Helene.