Hurricane Milton makes landfall with winds of 120mph

Hurricane Milton has made landfall on the west coast of Florida, lashing the state with winds measuring up to 120 mph.
The eye of the storm came ashore as a category three hurricane near Siesta Key, Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.
It will continue to unleash a life-threatening storm surge, flooding rainfall and destructive winds across the state as it makes its way across central Florida through Thursday morning.
Tampa, which is north of where the hurricane made landfall, is already seeing severe flooding that has the potential to become “catastrophic”, authorities said.
Several fatalities have occurred in St Lucie county after a tornado outbreak, according to local law enforcement.
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Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, appeared to be badly damaged on Wednesday night. Television images showed that the fabric that serves as the domed building’s roof had been ripped to shreds. It was not immediately clear if there was damage inside the stadium.
The Rays’ stadium was not being used as a shelter, but the Tampa Bay Times reported that it was being used as “a staging site for workers” who were brought to the area to deal with the storm’s aftermath.
The stadium opened in 1990 and initially cost $138 million. It was due to be replaced in time for the 2026 season with a $1.3 billion ballpark.
Local media reported a construction crane collapsing in the Florida city of St Petersburg, at the entrance to Tampa Bay.
The reports said no one was hurt by the collapse.
St Petersburg was reported to have received more than 17 inches of rainfall as measured at Albert Whitted Airport on Wednesday, including 5 inches between 8pm. and 8:53pm as Milton made landfall in the state.
St Petersburg authorities have posted a video on X of a tree collapsing in the high wind in front of a city hotel.
Dangerous winds are still happening, St. Pete. Please stay inside until the storm passes.*Video outside the Moxy Hotel in downtown St. Pete pic.twitter.com/KTNHehJrKH
Joe Biden, the US President, was briefed after Hurricane Milton made landfall earlier this evening. According to a readout from the White House
Tonight, following Hurricane Milton’s landfall, the President was briefed by Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on the initial impacts of the hurricane on the Florida Peninsula. 
The President will continue to receive updates from his team.
The National Weather Service is warning that more areas at risk of flash flooding as Hurricane Milton moves east from Tampa.
“This situation is extremely rare and only issued for a severe threat to life due to flooding,” it said in a statement.
“Additional emergencies may occur as Milton moves across the I-4 corridor in Florida.”
Flash Flood Emergencies are expanding across the I-4 corridor. This situation is extremely rare and only issued for a severe threat to life due to flooding. Additional emergencies may occur as #Milton moves across the I-4 corridor in Florida so keep these in mind: – Absolutely… pic.twitter.com/QzKrMSrj53
Two people were killed when a tornado hit St Lucie county earlier on Wednesday, NBC News reports.
Multiple other people are said to have been taken to hospital after the tornado struck around 4:30pm local time.
Some 1.6 million Floridians are without power as Hurricane Milton makes its way across the state – a number that has been rising all evening.
Joe Biden told Florida officials that he would be on hand to offer extra help “no matter how long it takes”, according to a readout from the White House.
The US President told mayors and representatives across the state to “call him directly if they need additional assistance on rescue, response, and recovery efforts”.
“The President also emphasized that he will be with them and their communities before, during, and after the storm – no matter how long it takes,” the White House said.
“Throughout the afternoon, the President has been receiving regular briefings on Hurricane Milton’s latest trajectory and expected impacts to the State of Florida,” it continued. 
“He will continue to receive updates from his team throughout the night as the storm moves across the Florida Peninsula.”
Residents have suffered serious injuries in Martin county, Florida, local officials said on social media.
No fatalities have been reported so far, although dozens of homes are estimated to have been damaged.
It’s estimated that dozens of homes have been damaged, some severely.There have been minor/serious injuries, however, there have been no fatalities reported at this time. Please STAY OFF roads & if you need to travel, avoid US 1. 🚨#Milton #Florida #FLwx #Tornado #weather pic.twitter.com/zBlBys4n6V
Two million are at risk of flash flooding across Tampa, St Petersburg and Clearwater, the National Weather Service has said.
The warning is in place until 2:30am local time, it added. Those in the affected area are advised to move to higher ground where possible and avoid walking or driving through floodwater.
Several people were killed in a retirement home in Fort Pierce, St Lucie county by a tornado, local police said.
It is not yet clear how many were killed at the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village. Search and rescue efforts were expected to happen late into Wednesday night.
Milton has been downgraded to a category two hurricane after it made landfall on the west coast of Florida earlier this evening.
Deanne Criswell, the head of the Federal Emergecy Management Agency (FEMA), says there could be more fatalities after reports of multiple deaths in St Lucie county.
“There’s still life-threatening situations out there,” Ms Criswell told CNN.
She added that there were more than 70,000 people waiting out the hurricane in shelters, “which means people listen to the evacuation orders, which is really encouraging”.
Ron DeSantis has warned potential looters against trying to take advantage of the chaos brought by Hurricane Milton.
“We’re a law and order state. We will hold looters accountable. You’re not going to want to mess with this,” the Florida governor told Fox News. 
“We’ve brought in massive numbers of law enforcement officers from out of state to supplement our local, municipal and county departments, and they are going to be present.
“People are not going to get away with messing with anyone’s property.”
Authorities have issued the highest level of flood warning for Tampa.
The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for the city, noting that between 10 and 14 inches of rain had fallen.
“Flash flooding is already occurring,” it said in a statement.
“This is a particularly dangerous situation. Seek higher ground now.”
More than nine inches of rain have fallen in only three hours over the Tampa Bay area, CNN reports.
St Petersburg, one of the cities on the peninsula, has seen more than three months’ rainfall just a few hours.
The National Weather Service has warned that Hurricane Milton will bring life-threatening flash flooding as it makes its way through central Florida.
Some 1.1 million Florida residents are without power as Hurricane Milton sweeps through the state, according to US media.
Gusts of up to 93mph have been recorded in St Petersburg, Florida, the National Hurricane Center has reported.
Jane Castor, the mayor of Tampa, has predicted that “the next few hours are going to be rough” as the city is ravaged by violent winds and flooding.
“It’s going to move through pretty fast,” Ms Castor told CNN, referring to Hurricane Milton. “We’re getting really pounded by the wind.”
She believes that the worst may have passed by 2am on Thursday, meaning emergency services will be able to return to work.
The storm surge is expected to reach between six and nine feet, Ms Castor added. Previous predictions had put this level at 15 feet.
Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, has urged residents to “shelter in place” as Hurricane Milton made landfall.
“As Hurricane Milton makes landfall near Sarasota county, now is the time to shelter in place,” the Florida governor wrote on social media. 
“First responders are staged and ready to go, as soon as weather conditions allow. 
“Search and rescue efforts will be well underway to save lives before dawn, and they will continue for as long as it takes.”
As Hurricane Milton makes landfall near Sarasota county, now is the time to shelter in place. First responders are staged and ready to go, as soon as weather conditions allow. Search and rescue efforts will be well underway to save lives before dawn, and they will continue for as…
More than 770,000 Floridians are without power after Hurricane Milton roared onto the west coast of the state, US media reports.
Joe Biden has said it is “probably” too late for Florida residents to evacuate from the path of Hurricane Milton as it closes in on Tampa Bay.
The US President encouraged people to shelter from the storm instead, which he said “carries incredible destructiveness” despite being downgraded to a category three hurricane.
“At this point, evacuation is probably difficult,” Mr Biden said in an update from the White House.
“I encourage people to look for safer shelter. Sometimes moving just a few miles can mean the difference between life and death.”
He added: “Milton… carries incredible destructiveness and can wipe out communities and cause loss of life.
“Storm surge is expected to be up to 13 foot and so I urge everyone in Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow all safety instructions they give.”
Steve Paris is among those who are staying put in Tampa as Hurricane Milton approaches.
While his home is not in a mandatory evacuation zone — he is in zone C — he has still been recommended to leave the area if possible.
“They suggest that you leave just because you don’t know what the implications of the storms are going to be”, he told The Telegraph.
“The big thing for us is finances… we waited too long to make our decision… and if we left earlier today we’d probably be stuck on the highway and the storm could be on top of us.”
Read the full article from Susie Coen, our US correspondent, here.
Hurricane Milton is close to making landfall along the coast of Florida, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has said.
The eye of the storm is 20 miles west-southwest of Sarasota, Florida and moving east-northeast at 15 mph.
The NHC added that a “life-threatening storm surge”, “damaging winds” and “flooding rains” were taking place across central and southwestern Florida.
Ron DeSantis says that Hurricane Milton has caused “some injuries” – but does not have any confirmed reports of fatalities yet.
The Florida governor added that 19 tornadoes had sprung up in Florida over the course of Wednesday, and that “numerous counties have reported tornado damage”.
The Weather Prediction Center is forecasting life-threatening “catastrophic” flooding around Tampa amid heavy rainfall brought by Hurricane Milton.
“An axis of extreme rainfall, stretching from the Tampa metropolitan region northeastward into the north-central [Florida] Peninsula, is expected to result in major to locally catastrophic flash flooding with considerable threats to life and property,” it said in a statement.
“Six-hr rainfall totals of at least 5-8 inches with hourly rainfall in the two to three in/hr range are expected.”
Some 125 homes have been destroyed by Hurricane Milton so far, Kevin Guthrie, Florida’s emergency management director, has said.
That number will almost certainly go up in the following hours as Milton makes its way ashore.
Ron DeSantis has said it is no longer safe to evacuate Florida because Hurricane Milton is now too close.
The Florida governor, echoing comments by US President Joe Biden, told a press conference: “You have to shelter in place and just hunker down… the storm is here.”
He advised locals to stay inside and off the roads.
St Petersburg has become the latest area of Florida to suspend emergency services amid violent winds brought by Hurricane Milton.
Ian Womack, the local fire chief, said fire and police units would respond “as soon as it’s safe” and that 911 will remain open for calls.
Sarasota, Pinellas, Charlotte and Manatee counties suspended their emergency services earlier this evening.
Twelve workers at a Tampa zoo are staying put while Hurricane Milton barrels towards them so they can look after the animals.
ZooTampa at Lowry Park is home to some 1,000 animals including elephants, giraffes and flamingos, The New York Times reports.
“We have the staff there that know them and can watch and monitor their behavior and give them what they need to ensure that they’re comfortable,” a director of the zoo said.
US media reports that severe flooding is taking place in Naples, Florida as a result of Hurricane Milton’s storm surge.
Water levels in the city have risen by more than a foot in the last two hours and are now 3.7 feet above normally dry ground.
Fort Myers, which is further north, is said to be nearing three feet of water above normally dry ground.
Florida residents can “rest assured” that the state is well-prepared for Hurricane Milton, Ron DeSantis has said.
“Everything we’ve asked for, we’ve gotten. We’re working constructively with President Biden, we’ve marshalled all state agencies and we’re working very constructively with our local partners,” the Florida governor told CBS News.
“We know what we’re doing here in Florida. We prepare for it. Floridians can rest assured: You’re going to have a very robust response. We’ve been ramping up for this.”
Milton may be just a few hours away from making landfall. Tampa and St Petersburg are already being hit by violent winds as the storm’s “eyewall” heads ashore.
The violent storms surrounding the eye of Hurricane Milton have reached Florida, according to an update from the National Hurricane Centre.
“The northern eyewall of Hurricane Milton is now spreading ashore in the Tampa/St Petersburg metro area where an Extreme Wind Warning is now in effect,” it said.
The “eyewall” refers to the storms, currently roaring along at 120mph, surrounding the eye of the hurricane.
Some 285,314 homes and businesses across Florida are now without power, US media reports.
Duke Energy Florida, a statewide electricity company, warned earlier today that a million of its customers could be hit by power cuts.
As of 6pm ET, Hurricane Milton was some 50 miles west-southwest of Sarasota on the west coast of Florida and heading towards it at 15mph. It is expected to make landfall in the city within hours.
Emergency services have been suspended in the area where Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall within hours.
“At 5:39 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, our last patrol vehicle returned to Headquarters. Sustained wind speeds are too strong for emergency services to respond,” Sarasota police said on social media.
“We will now wait out the storm, just like you, and once it passes, we will begin our rescue and recovery process.”
At 5:39 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, our last patrol vehicle returned to Headquarters. Sustained wind speeds are too strong for emergency services to respond. We will now wait out the storm, just like you, and once it passes, we will begin our rescue and recovery process. pic.twitter.com/bhtJsVMauw
A “catastrophic” Hurricane Milton was closing in on the storm-battered state of Florida on Wednesday as US officials pleaded with residents to flee or risk dying.
President Joe Biden warned that the Category 5 storm could be the worst natural disaster to hit the state in a century, as tornadoes began to sweep across central Florida.
As the second huge hurricane in as many weeks rumbled toward Florida’s west coast, people raced to board up homes and flee.
“It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not hyperbole,” Mr Biden said from the White House on Tuesday, urging those under orders to leave to “evacuate now, now, now.”
Local governments in Florida are warning residents to stay off the roads after Joe Biden suggested it was too late to evacuate.
Sarasota county government said it had received reports of flooding and that “it is not safe to be out on the road for the duration of the storm”.
“The only people who should be on the roadways at this time are first responders,” it added.
Lee County has issued a shelter-in-place order and warned: “It is no longer safe to be on roads and bridges”.
Joe Biden has condemned the “un-American” disinformation that has swirled in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
The US President said “reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies on what’s going on” that had undermined rescue work.
“Quite frankly, these lies are un-American,” he continued, blaming Donald Trump among other Republican voices for the “outrageous” claims.
Trump is one of several figures who have claimed without evidence that Fema, the emergency management agency, had moved funding from hurricane relief to migrants entering the US.
Hurricane Milton “carries incredible destructiveness” and could wipe out entire communities, Joe Biden has warned.
The US President said that, although Milton is classed as a category 3 hurricane, “no one should be confused as it is still expected to be one of the most  destructive hurricanes in Florida in over a century”.
“Milton still carries incredible destructiveness and can wipe out communities and cause loss of life,” he continued.
“Storm surge is expected to be up to 13ft and so I urge everyone in Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow all safety instructions they give.”
Mr Biden said that evacuation was now “probably difficult” and encouraged people to look for shelter.
“Sometimes moving just a few miles can mean the difference between life and death,” he added.
The abandoned dog who was tied to a fence in Tampa as Hurricane Milton approaches is “safe and receiving care”.
“Troopers brought him to a vet, where he was examined for injuries and received a clean bill of health,” the Florida department of highway safety said in a statement.
The Kennedy Space Center, located on Florida’s East Coast, has gone into lockdown as Hurricane Milton approaches, Nasa says.
“Kennedy has entered HURCON I ahead of Hurricane Milton’s approach,” the space agency said on social media.
“The center is now closed, with the exception of essential emergency response personnel and Ride Out Team members.”
HURCON is a scale used by NASA to indicate the state of preparations for an emergency as a hurricane approaches. HURCON 1 means that damaging winds are possible within 12 hours.
The head of Fema has insisted that Hurricane Milton is not draining resources from its recovery efforts in states hit by Hurricane Helene.
The emergency management agency has been under fire after Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary, suggested last week that it did not have enough money to get through the rest of the hurricane season.
Hurricane Milton may cause dozens of tornadoes to suddenly spring up across Florida, the National Weather Service has warned.
“If the driving rain and wind isn’t enough to convince you to remain sheltered in place, there is also the very real threat of tornadoes, even in the outer bands of Milton,” it said.
“These tornadoes spin up quickly and move even more so – making staying in a safe place the best possible option.”
As of 3pm EDT, the weather service had issued 53 tornado warnings.
Florida police have rescued a dog tied to a fence in Tampa, shortly before the city is hit by Hurricane Milton.
Footage posted on social media shows the dog standing in a ditch with rainwater up to its stomach, barking helplessly while tied to a pole.
Thank you, @FHPTampa. It is cruel for anyone to leave a dog tied to a post in the middle of an oncoming storm. FL will hold anyone who mistreats pets accountable. https://t.co/19axr8CLf0
“Do not do this to your pets please,” Florida’s highway patrol wrote on social media.
Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, said: “It is cruel to leave a dog tied to a post in the middle of an oncoming storm.
“[Florida] will hold anyone who mistreats pets accountable.”
Florida residents in the path of Hurricane Milton have been warned that it is their “last chance” to evacuate their homes.
“This is it, folks,” said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County.
“Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now.”
In Pasco County, which is home to over half a million people, officials said just before noon that they were preparing to take buses used for the evacuation efforts off the road.
“This is your last chance if you need to get to a shelter,” they said in a statement. “After that, you’ll need to find a way to the shelter or be prepared to ride out the storm.”
The National Hurricane Center is predicting storm surge in Tampa Bay and surrounding waters of between 8 and 12 feet (2.5 to 3 meters) above normal tide conditions, and rainfall of between 4 and 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) because of Hurricane Milton.
The entire Gulf Coast of Florida is especially vulnerable to storm surge. Last week, Hurricane Helene, which came ashore some 150 miles (240 kilometers) away from Tampa in the Florida Panhandle, still managed to cause drowning deaths in the Tampa area due to surges of around 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.5 meters) above normal tide levels.
“Had it made landfall just a little farther to the south and east, it could have been a lot, lot worse,” said Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University.
The heightened risk is partially a result of topography. The Gulf of Mexico coastline of Florida is shallow with a gentle, sloping shelf. The higher ocean floor acts as a barrier that retains the storm’s outflow of water, forcing the ocean to surge onto shore. That’s the opposite of Florida’s east coast, where the ocean floor drops suddenly a few miles from the coast.
“You can have the same storm, the same intensity, the same everything, but very different surges,” said Klotzbach.
A 2015 report from the Boston-based catastrophe modeling firm Karen Clark and Co. concluded that Tampa Bay is the most vulnerable place in the U.S. to storm surge flooding from a hurricane and stands to lose $175 billion in damage.
Milton became the third-fastest intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic, growing from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in less than 24 hours.
“These extremely warm sea surface temperatures provide the fuel necessary for the rapid intensification that we saw taking place to occur,” said climate scientist Daniel Gilford of Climate Central, a nonprofit research group. “We know that as human beings increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, largely by burning fossil fuels, we are increasing that temperature all around the planet.”
Kamala Harris appeared on screen for a live broadcast of the briefing on Hurricane Milton. 
The Trump War Room account on Twitter pointed out that the microphone picked up on her saying “this is a live broadcast”, accusing her aides of feeding her questions to ask. 
You can see the moment below: 
Kamala can be heard telling an aide (who is feeding her questions) that it’s a “live broadcast” before immediately asking the question.She’s a total fraud. pic.twitter.com/jWQteg20Ep
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday accused Donald Trump of unleashing an “onslaught of lies” over the government’s response to Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
Biden warned that Milton, which is barreling towards Florida, was “looking like the storm of the century” and said misinformation could harm people who need help.
“There’s been a reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies,” Biden told a briefing at the White House as the monster storm barreled towards Florida.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, “has led the onslaught of lies,” said Biden, who was joined virtually in the briefing by Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate battling Trump in November’s election.
Biden said the disinformation was “undermining confidence” in rescue and recovery work and it was “harmful to those who need help the most.”
You can track the storm here: 
The official body said: “Milton is growing in size as it moves closer to the west coast of Florida. Life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding rains expected across portions of Central and Southwestern Florida.”
At 2pm EDT (7pm GMT), the eye of the storm was around 150 miles southwest of Tampa. Winds were up to 130mph (215km/h).
At Walt Disney World in Orlando, which was expected to receive a big hit once Milton crosses the peninsula, visitors were getting a few rides in before the theme parks close shortly after midday.
“It’s safe and we’re here, so might as well,” said Lindsay Moore, 42, who flew in from Hawaii over the weekend.
“We thought about canceling but airlines wouldn’t let us.”
Hurricane Milton could result in losses of up $100 billion for the global insurance industry, creating a surge in 2025 reinsurance prices that could boost some insurance companies’ shares, analysts said on Wednesday.
The Category 5 hurricane is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida late on Wednesday or early Thursday. It is potentially one of the most destructive yet to hit the region, which is recovering from devastation caused by Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago.
Insured losses from Milton could be from $60-$100 billion if the hurricane makes direct landfall in the densely populated area of Tampa, analysts at Morningstar DBRS said.
A loss of $100 billion would put Milton on a par with Katrina in 2005, they added, saying that insured losses would likely be “substantial but not catastrophic”.
Katrina caused the largest insured loss from a hurricane.
The second largest loss came from Ian, which hit Florida in 2022 and led to losses of around $60 billion.
Biden postponed a major trip to Germany and Angola to oversee the federal response.
With the presidential election just weeks away, Donald Trump and some of his far-right Republican allies have turned the twin disasters of hurricanes Helene and Milton into a political football.
Conspiracy theories about government involvement in the weather and disinformation about supposed failure by Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and the rest of the Biden administration to respond have spread rapidly.
This prompted one Republican member of Congress from Florida, Carlos Gimenez, to issue a statement Wednesday that “Humans cannot create or control hurricanes. Anyone who thinks they can, needs to have their head examined.”
Trump took a new shot Wednesday, posting on social media that the response in North Carolina was “totally and incompetently managed by Harris/Biden.”
Biden slammed Trump’s politicization of the natural disasters as “un-American.”
Harris attacked Trump late Tuesday, asking: “Have you no empathy, man, for the suffering of other people?”
TORNADO crossing I-75 as we speak! Seek shelter NOW! pic.twitter.com/VYhef71ulX
“If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die,” she said on CNN.
“The last time, the water was up to my hip. So I think this time… I’m going to go ahead, grab my family and go,” said Emmanuel Parks, a 36-year-old pastor.
Airlines put on extra flights out of Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers and Sarasota, as highways clogged up with escaping traffic and gas stations sold out of fuel.
Not all Floridians, who have seen many hurricanes come and go, were expected to obey the evacuation orders, however.
John Gomez, 75, traveled all the way from Chicago to try to save his Florida home.
“I think it’s better to be here in case something happens,” Gomez said.
“There is space available in the shelters,” said Ron DeSantis, confirming there are still 200,000 spaces available in the emergency shelters. 
“I know some people would rather stay in the hotel, and that’s fine.
“But as the storm gets closer, you may be able to drive 10 miles to a shelter and ride it out.” 
Ron DeSantis is urging people to get out of the danger zones. 
He said: “There is still time to get out. You still have time to evacuate. The conditions will still continue to deteriorate as the day goes on.
“The conditions aren’t great now, and are likely to get worse.”
Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor, is giving a press conference. 
He has just said that some gas stations have run out of fuel, as thousands attempt to flee.
1.1m gallons of gas and 1.6m gallons of diesel are available in Florida at the moment, he said.
You can watch it here: 
“Milton remains a catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane,” said the NHC, forecasting the storm to make landfall on the Florida Gulf coast late Wednesday night.
It “is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the west-central coast of Florida,” it said.
Tampa city mayor Jane Castor warned residents on CNN: “If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.”
At a news conference, Governor Ron DeSantis ticked off town after town in danger.
“Basically the entire peninsula portion of Florida is under some type of either a watch or a warning,” he said.
Airlines put on extra flights out of Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers and Sarasota, as highways clogged up with escaping traffic and gas stations sold out of fuel.
By Wednesday morning (4am EDT, 9am GMT) Milton was located 300 miles (485 km) southwest of Tampa, generating maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Forecasters predict the hurricane could hit Florida at around 2am EDT (7am GMT) on Thursday morning. But others have said it may hit late on Wednesday night.
Milton could strike near the city of Tampa, whose wider metropolitan area has a population of more than three million people.
Forecasters are warning of torrential rain, flash flooding, high winds and possible storm surges – which occur when water moves inland from the coast.
They say Milton could be the worst storm to hit the area in about a century – with a surge of 10-15ft (3-4.5m) possible, and localised rainfall of up to 1.5ft.