Hurricane Milton is heading in the direction of Florida as a major storm with the potential to produce catastrophic damage.
Florida officials have urged residents in the direct path of the storm to evacuate, with some areas under mandatory evacuation orders and some under voluntary evacuations.
As of 8 p.m. Monday, Milton was producing maximum sustained winds of up to 180 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
"Milton is a potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida," the National Hurricane Center said.
When is Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall in Florida?
While the forecast may change, as of Monday evening, Milton is forecast to make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast sometime late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.
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How strong is Milton expected to be at landfall?
Local
Hurricane Milton is forecast to be a category 3 or 4 storm at the time of landfall.
Where is Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall?
Since it's still a couple of days out from landfall, the exact track is not locked in yet, but the storm is currently expected to make landfall somewhere between Clearwater and Fort Myers in Florida.
Storm surge remains a major concern in the Tampa area with 10 to 15 foot surge possible.
Heavy rainfall is expected across Florida through Thursday.
When will Florida start to feel tropical storm force winds?
The Gulf Coast of the Florida peninsula will likely start to feel tropical storm force winds earlier on Wednesday in advance of landfall.
