Forecasters are urging people in Florida to make preparations or leave their homes today, as the National Hurricane Center confirmed that Milton is a "catastrophic Category 5 hurricane" and will hit Florida later today or early tomorrow as a major storm.

The National Weather Service warned residents to shelter-in-place as conditions deteriorated dramatically Wednesday afternoon and Hurricane Milton roared toward Florida's beleaguered west coast.

Hurricane Milton will be a storm surge event unlike any hurricane in living memory for west-central Florida, said Dr. Ryan Truchelut.