"You are going to die": Tampa mayor warns against ignoring Milton evacuation orders

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued a dire warning to residents considering ignoring evacuation orders as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida.

"I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you're going to die," Castor told CNN on Monday evening.

The big picture: Hurricane Milton explosively intensified to become a Category 5 storm on Monday.

Coming fast on the heels of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, Milton threatens to impact highly populated areas of the Florida coast.

The National Hurricane Center warned Tuesday that Hurricane Milton "has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.

"While Hurricane Helene brought a 4-to-8 foot storm surge in the Tampa Bay area — and was extremely damaging — Milton is projected to bring an unprecedented 10-to 15-foot storm surge to a wide swath of the area.