Hurricane Milton is lashing Florida with heavy rain and wind as the storm bears down on the state.
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The Category 3 storm, about 60 miles west of Sarasota as of 5 p.m. ET, is due to make landfall late Wednesday, but it's already wreaking havoc.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 255 miles from the storm's center, according to the National Weather Service. In addition, more than 50 tornado warnings have been issued — with multiple sightings.
One of those reported tornadoes hit just outside Fort Myers Wednesday — damaging structures and bringing down power lines.
Originally expected to make landfall near Tampa, the storm’s trajectory made a dramatic shift south overnight.
Areas near Sarasota are projected to get up to 13 feet of storm surge. In Tampa Bay, storm surge is anticipated to be up to 9 feet, lower than initially projected.
"The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the south of the landfall location," the National Weather Service says.
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Mandatory evacuations are in place up and down Florida’s Gulf Coast. Shelters quickly began filling up as the National Weather Service said Wednesday afternoon that it's "now time to shelter-in-place."
After the storm makes landfall, it's expected to turn northeast and head toward the Orlando area — dumping about a foot of rain before exiting the state.
Orlando International Airport closed on Wednesday, following the lead of other major airports in the state, including Tampa International.
The storm also forced the closure of three of the major theme parks in Orlando — Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld.
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