Hurricane Milton, a powerful Category 3 storm, prepares to hit Florida

A powerful hurricane, Milton, is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday night, with 5.9 million people in the Tampa area under mandatory evacuation orders. This is the first time in over a century that Tampa is expected to be hit directly by a major hurricane. Milton, initially a Category 4 or 5 storm, has been downgraded to a Category 3 due to vertical wind shear over the Gulf of Mexico, with sustained winds of 120 mph. Emergency management officials have warned residents to flee, stating "this is going to be a knockout" and that those who do not evacuate will face "grim odds of survival".