When and where will Hurricane Milton make landfall? Deadly storm approaches Florida

The center of Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall near or just south of the Tampa Bay region Wednesday night, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. ET update.

Milton was a Category 5 hurricane late Tuesday but was downgraded to a Category 3 Wednesday afternoon after spending most of the day as a Category 4. The storm is headed towards the Tampa area and is expected to bring storm surge, widespread damage and power outages to the Sunshine State.

Less than two weeks after Helene barreled through the southern part of the United States, Milton will make landfall as "a dangerous major hurricane," according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

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Hurricane Milton live updates: Storm surges toward Tampa; landfall likely tonight

When will Hurricane Milton make landfall?

The storm is expected to make landfall late Wednesday night.

Areas of Florida have already felt the storm's effects long before official landfall, with some residents seeing tornadoes Wednesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service in Miami said on social media it had "up to 4 visually confirmed tornadoes today," with unofficial reports of others.

The state is experiencing hurricane and tropical storm winds throughout Wednesday. The NHC said in its 5 p.m. ET update that Milton's tropical-storm-force winds extend out to 255 miles.

Where is Milton? Hurricane Milton path tracker

Where will Milton make landfall?

The center of Milton is set to make landfall near or just south of the Tampa Bay region, the NHC said Wednesday afternoon, but its effects will be felt around the state.

"We're telling people not to focus on the exact center because as the system makes landfall, the eye is going to be getting larger, and the wind field is going to be expanding," Rick Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa, told USA TODAY. "Even if you're not directly in the path, the effects will be felt far and wide at the point of landfall."

Hurricane Milton Tracker

Hurricane Milton spaghetti models

Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts.

Hurricane Milton livestream

Watch live as Hurricane Milton heads toward Florida.

Life-threatening storm

Milton's storm surge presents an "extremely life-threatening situation," according to the National Hurricane Center.

“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," warns NHC specialist John Cangialosi.

The state will see 5 to 12 inches of rainfall, according to USA TODAY's previous reporting. Areas in the central to northern portions of the Florida Peninsula areas could experience up to 18 inches of rain.

People should rush to prepare for long-duration power outages and to" protect life and property," the National Hurricane Center warned.

"Life-threatening" flooding is also possible, according to the center.

"We just need people to, you know, take this very seriously," said Davis. "This is going to be a devastating event."

This story has been updated with new information

Contributing: Gabe Hauari , Anthony Robledo , Eric Lagatta John Bacon , Trevor Hughes , Dinah Voyles Pulver , Christopher Cann , Michael Loria , Thao Nguyen , Samantha Neely , Jennifer Sangalang , Fernando Cervantes Jr. , USA TODAY

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn , follow her on X, formerly Twitter , Instagram and TikTok : @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When and where will Hurricane Milton make landfall? Deadly storm approaches Florida