Hurricane Milton strengthened as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, heading toward Florida and threatening to hit one of the state’s major population areas with powerful storm surges, heavy rain, and damaging winds, just two weeks after the deadly Hurricane Helene inundated the coast. Milton, which returned to Category 5 status on Tuesday afternoon, is threatening the Tampa Bay area, which is home to more than 3.3 million people and has managed to evade a direct hit from a major hurricane for more than 100 years. Milton is also menacing other stretches of Florida’s west coast that…