Florida residents brace as powerful Hurricane Milton nears landfall

​​​​​​​By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Residents across much of Florida are bracing for Hurricane Milton's expected landfall overnight Wednesday as the powerful Category 4 storm nears the southern US state.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is urging residents in Milton's expected path to "rush" to finish "all preparations this morning to protect life and property" with tropical storm-force winds of between 39 to 73 mph (63 to 120 kph) expected to hit Florida's west coast beginning Wednesday afternoon around 2 p.m. local time.

The hurricane is not expected to make landfall until late Wednesday or early Thursday. Forecasters are predicting Milton will come ashore just south of Tampa Bay near Sarasota before cutting across the Florida peninsula.

The National Weather Service is warning residents in central and southern Florida that Milton has the potential of "producing several tornadoes" during the day Wednesday and into the night. The greatest threat should be in the afternoon, it added.

The storm is currently moving northeast over the Gulf of Mexico's warm waters, packing maximum sustained wind speeds of a shocking 155 mph (250 kph). Forecasters have warned that Milton could maintain its hurricane status as it crosses Florida on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Storm surge warnings are in effect for nearly all of Florida's west coast, running from the southern tip of the state through Yankeetown. That area encompasses several major population centers, including Tampa Bay where the NHC is warning of a storm surge of between 8 to 12 feet (2.4 to 3.7 meters).

A storm surge results from a storm's powerful winds pushing ocean water on land above normal tide levels. The phenomena is incredibly deadly. Just south of Tampa Bay from Anna Maria Island to Boca Grande, forecasters are expecting a storm surge of between 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.6 meters).

Rainfall totals are expected to range from 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) in central and northern Florida, with localized totals up to 18 inches (46 centimeters).

"This rainfall brings the risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with moderate to major river flooding," according to the NHC.