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.

Tampa, with a metropolitan area that is home to over 3 million people, has not had a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than 100 years.

Hurricane Milton became the third-fastest intensifying Atlantic storm on record as it headed towards Florida's west coast, threatening to swamp low-lying areas with a life-threatening storm surge, according to the U.