Hurricane Milton is inching closer towards Florida's Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall as "an extremely dangerous major hurricane" late Wednesday night or Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The Category 4 storm is now about 160 miles southwest of Tampa and is moving at 17mph winds of 145 mph, which is down slightly from 160 mph early Tuesday morning, according to the latest NHC update.
"Tropical-storm-force winds are just offshore and now is the time to stay inside and away from windows," the update reads. "Listen for updates and be ready in case you lose electrical power. Keep a battery-powered radio, charged cell phone and flashlight handy."
Milton is expected to be the worst storm to hit the Tampa Bay region in over a century, with the storm surge estimated to be 10-15 feet above sea level. The hurricane has already produced several tornadoes across southern Florida, with more expected as the hurricane nears.
"If you are in the Storm Surge Warning area, this is an extremely life-threatening situation. The time to evacuate is quickly coming to a close," the NHC Storm Surge Center wrote on X Tuesday morning.
Throughout the week, millions of Floridians were urged to evacuate and warned that Hurricane Milton would put their lives at risk.
"I’ve said many times that if you want to pick a fight with Mother Nature, she’s winning 100 percent of the time," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said in a press conference Tuesday. "And individuals that are in these, say you’re in a single-story home. Twelve feet is above that house. So, if you’re in it, you know, basically that’s the coffin you’re in."
The potentially record-breaking storm comes just weeks after Hurricane Helene struck Florida and other parts of the southeast United States, killing over 220 people.
