Hurricane Milton kept its Category 5 status late on Tuesday with sustained winds of 160mph, as it continues to draw energy from warm ocean waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Eleven million people are under a hurricane warning as Hurricane Milton barrels toward Florida.
At its peak on Monday, Milton was a Category 5 storm with winds up to 185 mph. It briefly weakened on Tuesday into a Category 4 storm while its central structure reorganized.
Hurricane Milton began to curve away from Mexico and head toward Florida on Tuesday at about 12 miles per hour. On Tuesday night it was about 405 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, and forecast to make landfall in the Tampa area late Wednesday or early Thursday as a dangerous major hurricane.
Evacuations
Evacuation orders have been issued for people up and down Florida's Gulf Coast. Local officials warn that people in evacuation zones who do not leave may not survive.
"Don't gamble with you and your loved one's life. Make the preparations, find a hotel, find a family member, stay at a friend's house," said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. "Worst case scenario, stay at a shelter. There's plenty of them open, but you're better off being inconvenienced and uncomfortable, yet alive."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said 36 county shelters were open for residents who needed them.
How intense will Milton be?
Hurricane Milton is projected to be a Category 3 storm when it reaches the coast as dry air and wind shear will cause its structure to deteriorate.
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However, forecasters are concerned that the storm will become larger, affecting many people across Florida. As of Tuesday night, tropical storm-force winds extended 140 miles from the center. The National Hurricane Center expects the dangerous wind field will grow "considerably" as the storm makes landfall.
A larger storm will likely also mean a high storm surge. Forecasters say a water rise of 10-15 feet is possible in Tampa Bay as Milton approaches.
"Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," the National Hurricane Center said early Tuesday.
The exact location of landfall is still not known. The National Hurricane Center says this far ahead of time, its forecasts of the hurricane's exact track can vary by as much as 60 nautical miles.
The storm is expected to quickly make its way across central Florida on Thursday, potentially hitting the Orlando area as a Category 2 storm.
Government response
On Monday, President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talked with each other about coordinating state and federal relief efforts. DeSantis' office said that the Florida Division of Emergency Management is using Tropicana Field, home of the MLB's Rays, as a staging area for up to 10,000 relief workers.
President Biden also approved Florida's request for an emergency declaration.
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The Biden administration said on Monday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has "sufficient funding to both support the response to Hurricane Milton and continue to support the response to Hurricane Helene."
FEMA has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water prepositioned.