STORM-MILTON/REINSURANCE

Forecasters predict the center of Hurricane Milton will make landfall Wednesday night on Florida's west-central coast.

The state of Florida, in the southeastern United States, prepared on Wednesday for the arrival of powerful Hurricane Milton amid warnings of heavy rain, strong winds and storm surge that could be life-threatening.

Forecasters said the center of the storm was expected to make landfall Wednesday night on Florida's west-central coast. That region includes Tampa Bay, a city of 3.3 million people that has not been directly hit by a hurricane since 1921.

“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record in west-central Florida,” the US National Hurricane Center said.

There was particular concern about storm surge, rising water levels driven primarily by the storm's strong winds as it moves toward the coast. The Hurricane Center said storm surge levels could reach 3-4.5 meters in areas near where the eye of the storm makes landfall.

Storm surge warnings were in effect Wednesday for nearly the entire west coast of the Florida peninsula, which spans 500 kilometers.

Roads were busy Monday and Tuesday as people followed mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders to escape the hurricane's path, while those who chose to stay made final preparations to ride out the storm.

The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 160 miles per hour Tuesday night, making it a Category 5 storm on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale. Storms of that magnitude are expected to cause widespread destruction and damage to homes and long-lasting power outages.

The National Hurricane Center said areas of central and northern Florida were expected to receive between 15 and 30 centimeters of rain, with higher amounts in some places. The storm is expected to cross Florida and enter the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.

“Evacuate now, now, now,” US President Joe Biden advised Florida residents Tuesday from the White House. The president has canceled this week's trips to Germany and Angola to remain in the United States and oversee preparations and the response to Milton, the White House said.

Milton will likely be “a monster,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday. He urged Florida residents to pay attention to meteorologists' reports and follow local evacuation orders.

The governor said Florida is preparing to activate 8,000 National Guard members to help with the Milton fallout.

Dozens of emergency shelters are ready for people who need them, and one location in Florida has capacity for 10,000 people, according to the governor. However, DeSantis said the shelters are “designed to be a shelter of last resort.”

Milton's arrival in Florida comes just two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the state. DeSantis said Tuesday that Florida Department of Transportation trucks have removed 1,300 truckloads of debris from Helene in just over 48 hours. He said removing a “huge, huge amount” of debris will prevent further damage.

(With information from Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse)