TAMPA, Fla. − Highways grew clogged, gas stations were running out of fuel and stores were stripped of necessities as Hurricane Milton roared toward Florida's beleaguered west coast on Wednesday, a "catastrophic" behemoth on a collision course with one of the state's most densely populated areas.

Millions of storm-weary Floridians have been ordered or urged to flee, and time was running out. The center of Milton, now a Category 4 storm driving sustained winds of 145 mph, was forecast to move across the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. update.

“Historic, catastrophic, life-threatening – all those words summarize the situation,” said Austen Flannery, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Tampa.

Tornadic supercells − dangerous, rotating thunderstorms that can produce tornadoes − were beginning to sweep across the Florida Peninsula, the update said. More than 12 million people were under tornado warnings, and the National Weather Service in Miami said on social media it had "up to 4 visually confirmed tornadoes today" with unofficial reports of others.

Milton was on a track to cut across the Florida Peninsula and head into the Atlantic Ocean later Thursday. Milton, expected to retain hurricane status as it moves across the state, is targeting Florida less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene blasted ashore on Florida's Big Bend coast, a Category 4 storm that left much of Florida battered and vulnerable before devastating the Carolinas.

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. Storm surge from Milton could drive water levels up to 12 feet above ground, the hurricane center said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking at a briefing Wednesday, said the state was prepared. Hundreds of search and rescue personnel and 180 high-water vehicles have been embedded in likely storm impact sites, he said. Over 6,000 state National Guard members and 3,000 more from other states are at the ready, along with 50,000 linemen who will work on restoring power after the storm.

"We are facing this with the determination that it deserves but also the belief that we will get through this," DeSantis said.

Hurricane Milton tracker: Follow the latest path of the storm

Developments

∎ Early Wednesday, Milton was 190 miles soutwest of Tampa, heading northeast at 17 mph, the hurricane center reported.

∎ Rainfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches, with localized totals up to 18 inches, are expected across central to northern portions of the Florida Peninsula through Thursday.

∎ More than two dozen Florida counties have either mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders in place. More than 20 million people in Florida and eastern Georgia are under either hurricane or tropical storm warnings.

∎ About 2.8% of U.S. gross domestic product is in the direct path of Milton, said Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. Airlines, energy firms and a Universal Studios theme park were among the companies beginning to halt their Florida operations as they braced for disruptions.

Katie Combs’ living room is full of damp family photos and birth certificates salvaged from her mother’s home after it was wrecked by Hurricane Helene. The storm – which left Combs’ home untouched – inundated and completely emptied her mother’s house in Indian Rocks Beach.

“We found two dining chairs just floating in the ocean … a random tennis shoe hundreds of yards away,” Katie Combs said.

Now, as Hurricane Milton approaches, Combs and her family nailed up boards and brought in furniture at her house in Pinellas Park – which has become a refuge for loved ones whose homes were destroyed by Helene. Recently affixed with a new roof, the house sits 20 feet above sea level and is several miles from the coast, in a city just north of St. Petersburg. She and her family stayed there during Helene and did not lose power.

“If we had to, we could just get in the car and just drive and sleep in the car with the cat,” she said. “But now that we're here and my mom is staying with a friend about 25 minutes away, I don't think getting her and leaving is an option.”

− Christopher Cann

At the Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Commodore Robert Tintera and fellow sailboat racer Emily Wagner spent Wednesday morning fighting increasingly gusty wind and rain to install a remote camera to monitor dozens of members’ boats moored along the docks. A skeleton crew of club members remained at the facility during Helene to loosen and tighten lines as necessary. But they’ve decided it’s just too dangerous to stay for Milton.Tintera's nearby home was significantly damaged by the surge from Hurricane Helene.“The thing I was worried the most about was my sailboat, and it was my house, two motorcycles and a car that got flooded,” said Tintera, who planned to evacuate Wednesday afternoon. “Our hope is that the weak side of the storm pushes the water out of the bay."

In Tampa, while many other people made last-minute preparations, metalworker Dominique Martinez took another tack, driving around in his white pickup with a 10-foot-tall, purple metal bunny in the back. Martinez planned to ride out Milton in his studio home, which is inside an old city firehouse on high ground in Tampa. Because he wasn’t worried about his safety, he said, he could take the time to drive around his sculpture with the aim of bringing some levity to the situation.“So many people come up and are like, ‘this is so cool,’” he told USA TODAY as the wind intensified. “The proof is in the pudding. Look at your smile!”

Mapping fuel shortages: Gas shortages grow in Florida ahead of Milton

Milton is zeroing in on Florida's west coast, but across the panhandle the east coast won't emerge unscathed. The National Weather Service in Melbourne said the storm is likely to have Category 1 hurricane strength when it rolls over the area. The service warned Wednesday that Milton is “likely to result in a rare and historic event for parts of the area” and the region’s residents could face “devastating impacts from hurricane winds and gusts,” including major flooding.

Storm shelters throughout Brevard County, home to Melbourne, opened Wednesday morning ahead of Milton’s arrival on the Space Coast.

− Dinah Voyles Pulver and Michelle Spitzer, USA TODAY NETWORK

MARCO ISLAND, Fla − On Wednesday morning in Marco Island, 180 miles south of Tampa, increasing winds began whipping palm trees Wednesday. Cars pulled into the city’s last open gas station, its windows covered with plywood and its owner manning the till because his workers didn’t feel safe to coming to work.

Outside, Tim McCoy, 72, filled a supply of gas canisters. McCoy, who owns the island’s Sandbar restaurant that was full of revelers the night before, said he’d been through nearly 20 years of hurricanes including Hurricane Ian in 2022, when the island lost power and an 8-foot storm surge flooded hundreds of buildings and vehicles.

He was planning to stay for Milton because his home is on elevated ground. He was most worried about losing electricity.

“We don’t have to worry about the flood, we just have to worry about power,” McCoy said, adding that "if it was a direct hit, I’d probably be out of here.”

− Chris Kenning

Several Central Florida airports have closed. More than 1,700 U.S. flights have been canceled for Wednesday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. The same goes for Thursday.

American Airlines and United Airlines had added seats and extra flights Monday and Tuesday to help people evacuate the area. Now those airlines along with Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines have issued waivers that allow travelers going to or from some Florida airports to change their tickets for no extra charge. Customers can check their airline’s website for specific details on travel advisories.

If a flight gets canceled for any reason, customers are entitled to a refund, according to Department of Transportation rules.

− Eve Chen, Zach Wichter, Nathan Diller and Kathleen Wong

Hurricane Milton travel impact: What to know about flights, cruises, hotels and theme parks across Florida

Much of the coastal retirement community of Venice is under an evacuation order, including some areas hosting emergency shelters. Mayor Nick Pachota said officials believe those shelters will be safe enough for people to ride out the storm in, but that most people have left already.

Helene hit Venice’s coastal areas hardest with storm surge, but Milton is expected to bring high winds and rain, along with a storm surge twice that of Helene. Venice, with a population of about 27,000, is about 70 miles south of Tampa.He said a significant concern are the piles of debris left by Helen, which are expected to be thrown around by Milton’s wind.Because so many elderly people retire there − the city’s median age is 68 years old, compared to 38 for the U.S as a whole − officials worked closely with their state counterparts to evacuate nursing home residents and others who could not move themselves.“We made a very big push to get everybody out of here and most of our facilities heeded that request,” Pachota said.

An area of heavy rain was spreading across portions of southwestern and west-central Florida ahead of Milton on Thursday, and the hurricane center warned "weather conditions will steadily deteriorate" across much of the Florida Gulf Coast throughout the day. Landfall "is likely to occur late tonight or early Thursday morning," the hurricane center said in an 8 a.m. discussion. The forecast has "nudged a little to the north" in recent hours, but the hurricane center cautioned against focusing on the exact landfall point because the average error at 12-24 hours out is about 20-30 miles.

Rick Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa, told USA TODAY Milton was expected to make landfall in the Manatee Couty/Sarasota County area on central Florida's west coast, give or take 50 miles north or south.

Accuweather estimated landfall at 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. "within a dozen miles of the islands at the mouth of Tampa Bay" as a major hurricane.

Watch Hurricane Milton live cameras: Storm approaching Florida

With more than seven weeks left in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, there's a good chance that catastrophic Hurricane Milton won't be the last storm to impact the U.S. this year.

In fact, forecasters are continuing to watch several other systems across the Atlantic basin, including one east of Florida that could become Tropical Storm Nadine later Wednesday.

If the system becomes Nadine, it would be the 14th named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. A typical season – which lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30 – has 14 storms. Read more here.

− Doyle Rice

Milton may wobble between a Category 4 and Cat 5 hurricane, but forecasters say that ranking doesn't capture the storm's true potential. The scale that ranks hurricanes – officially known as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale – is a rating based on maximum sustained wind speed, which ranges from 74 to 157 mph, or higher. The scale does not take into account potentially deadly hurricane hazards such as storm surge, rainfall, river flooding and tornadoes.

In Milton's case, experts are focusing their concerns on the storm's growing size and potential for massive storm surge along populated areas − two of the things that don't factor into category rankings. The situation was slightly different with recent Hurricane Helene, where the storm's winds were a bigger concern as it made landfall in a less populated area with lots of trees and vulnerable structures.

Milton winds peaked Monday evening as one of the top 5 strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record with sustained winds of 180 mph. Though the winds have eased modestly, the storm has grown in size.

"Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," the National Hurricane Center warned.

− Doyle Rice

What category is Hurricane Milton? Florida has bigger worries than that.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said the agency is "prepared to respond and stands ready to support" Florida with resources requests.

"Hundreds of FEMA staff are on the ground in Florida supporting Helene recovery and coordinating with the state to prepare people for the next storm," the agency said in a news release.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell pushed back against former President Donald Trump’s claims about Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, saying she was disappointed in the misinformation he was spreading. FEMA was forced to address misinformation on its webpage and social media platforms after Trump spread claims about hurricane relief efforts, including allegations that there are “no helicopters, no rescue” in North Carolina and that the federal government is only giving $750 to those who have lost their homes.

— Saman Shafiq

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has received more than 200 complaints about price gouging as many thousands of residents prepared to evacuate from Hurricane Milton. As of Monday, most complaints are about fuel and water, said Kylie Mason, Moody's spokesperson. The top three counties for complaints are Highlands, Hillsborough and Pinellas. There were also scattered instances involving overnight accommodations, including one Airbnb listing of a "room in Tallahassee" for nearly $6,000 a night.

"Our team already reached out to our (Airbnb) corporate contact and tracked down the owner," Mason said. "We are sharing a copy of the price gouging statute ... and making them aware of their legal responsibility."

− Ana Goñi-Lessan, Tallahassee Democrat

Contributing: Reuters