Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel to New Orleans on Tuesday in anticipation of Hurricane Milton

With Hurricane Milton approaching the Florida Gulf Coast, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading to New Orleans earlier than expected.

The Buccaneers are evacuating Tampa and will travel to New Orleans on Tuesday, the team announced Monday. The team will stay in hotel rooms in New Orleans for the rest of the week.

According to the National Hurricane Center and NOAA, Milton has strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane after rapidly intensifying Monday morning. Sustained winds for the storm are estimated to be around 160 miles per hour.

It is set to potentially make landfall on Wednesday evening in Florida, just over a week after Hurricane Helene battered the southeastern portion of the country.

With Tampa Bay set to play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, the move will avoid attempting a flight on Saturday.

The strength of Hurricane Milton has prompted a state of emergency in 51 of Florida's 67 counties. In Tampa Bay, forecasters anticipate 8- to 12-foot storm surges and 5 to 10 inches of river flooding inland, per the Associated Press. The storm is expected to bring about the biggest mass evacuation in Florida since Hurricane Irma in 2017.