Hurricane Milton tracker: Milton strengthens to Category 5 storm with 175 mph winds

Milton, currently a Category 5 hurricane with 175 mph winds, is located about 700 miles southwest of Tampa.

Hurricane Milton strengthened from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane in just 10 hours.

Milton now ranks as the third-greatest 24-hour hurricane intensification by wind speed in the Atlantic Basin. (Records are based on data since the satellite-er began in the 1960s.) The only other hurricanes to intensify faster were Wilma in 2005 and Felix in 2007.

Milton is expected to remain a powerful Category 5 hurricane through Tuesday.

It’s forecast to weaken to a Category 3 on Wednesday before making landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Hurricane watches are in effect in Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Naples and Orlando.

Storm surge will be one of the biggest threats from Milton.

Hurricane Helene just brought a record 6 to 8 feet of storm surge to the Tampa Bay area, and Hurricane Milton is now forecast to smash that record with 8 to 12 feet of storm surge. Fort Myers could see 5 to 10 feet and Naples could get 4 to 7 feet of storm surge.

Milton will also bring very heavy rain, adding to the rainfall a separate system is dumping on Florida now.

A widespread 5 to 10 inches of rain is possible by the end of the week, with local amounts up to 15 inches, which could cause considerable urban and river flooding.

-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to take a call from Vice President Kamala Harris about Hurricane Milton because his team believes the call is politically motivated, according to a source close to the governor.

DeSantis staffers also said the governor has not spoken to President Joe Biden in at least the last few days.

The governor did speak with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on Sunday, and federal officials are continuing to work with state emergency managers to prepare for Hurricane Milton’s landfall.

DeSantis' refusal to take Harris' call was first reported by NBC News.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that the administration is still working with state and local officials to make sure that teams are pre-positioned ahead of Milton’s landfall.

-ABC News’ Will McDuffie and Jay O’Brien

Walt Disney World Resort is currently open and operating as normal.

"We are closely monitoring the path of the projected storm as we continue to prioritize the safety of our Guests and Cast Members," the resort said on its website.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

-ABC News’ Yi-Jin Yu

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in parts of counties along Florida's west coast, including in Charlotte, Citrus, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee and Pasco.

"If you live in a storm surge evacuation zone and you're asked to leave by your local officials, please do that," Michael Brennan, the director of NOAA's national hurricane center, told ABC News Live on Sunday. "You don't have to drive hundreds of miles to get to a safe place, often just tens of miles to get inland, out of that evacuation zone, to a shelter, a friend or loved one's home."

Brennan also urged Floridians to prepare a disaster kit with several days’ worth of nonperishable food, water, medicine and batteries.