Milton slammed into Florida's already storm-blasted coast Wednesday evening as a Category 3 hurricane threatening huge swaths of Tampa Bay, Sarasota and regions still reeling from the destruction of Helene.

Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, Wednesday night. The storm is on track to rake across the Florida peninsula after landfall and head into the Atlantic Ocean. Maps show Milton is expected to flood parts of Florida's Gulf Coast with storm surge as high as 9 to 13 feet.

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.