Watch: Hurricane Milton update from National Weather Service

Hurricane Milton strengthened to a major Category 4 storm early Monday, driving sustained winds of 150 mph as it rolled across the Gulf of Mexico bound for what could be a devastating crash along Florida's already storm-battered western coast.

The storm has rapidly intensified, strengthening from a Category 2 storm in a couple hours. The National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane watches across portions of Florida and warned that parts of the state could be overwhelmed by life-threatening storm surge, flooding rain and damaging winds.

Milton is forecast to remain an "extremely dangerous" hurricane of at least Category 4 strength for the next couple of days. A Category 4 hurricane features sustained winds of 130-156 mph. Some weakening is then forecast before the hurricane reaches the coast, but Milton "is still likely to be a large and powerful hurricane at landfall in Florida," hurricane center specialist Jack Beven wrote in an advisory.