Hurricane Milton vs. the deadliest storm in US history

Hurricane Milton is on track to become one of the most powerful and destructive storms since 1900 .

The 'Great Galveston Hurricane' killed 8,000 in 1900 , destroying 3,600 buildings and destroying $26 billion in today 's money.

Forecasters predict Milton - also a Category 4 - could deliver record-breaking storm surge of 15 feet in Tampa Bay .

51 of 67 Florida counties have been placed under storm warnings and evacuations have been ordered for over 1 million people in west-coast counties.

Milton is currently located in the Gulf of Mexico 520 miles southwest of Tampa .

Milton rapidly intensified over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday , strengthening from a Category 1 hurricane to a near-record-breaking Category 5 hurricane with winds of 180 miles per hour .

The storm has since weakened to a Category 4 but is expected to remain an 'extremely dangerous hurricane' through landfall along Florida 's west coast .

The NHC also said the central pressure within Hurricane Milton fell to the second -lowest level on record in the Gulf and lowest in the Atlantic Basin since 2005 .