Hurricane Milton latest: Million people told to evacuate as Florida ...
Florida prisons evacuate thousands of inmates
Florida's department of corrections says it has evacuated 4,636 inmates ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall.
It said it had done this "without compromising public safety" and that additional evacuations were under way.
The department said it determines if and when to perform evacuations based on "the best interest of the public, staff and inmate safety," but does not publicly announce the evacuations until after the inmates have been moved.
Watch: Hurricane hunters fly into Milton
A group of hurricane hunters flew into Hurricane Milton over New Mexico today to collect data.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration crew gather information that can help forecasters make accurate predictions during a hurricane.
As shown in the video below, the plane crew deals with some turbulence as they flew into the storm.
Milton could be worst hurricane to hit Florida in 100 years, says Biden
Joe Biden issued a dire warning about the severity of Hurricane Milton today, saying it could pose a historic threat to the state of Florida.
The president postponed his upcoming trips to Angola and Germany as the storm travels eastward.
"This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century, and God willing, it won't be, but that's what it's looking like right now," he said.
Mr Biden added that he was in conversation with political leaders in the region and told them "anything they ask for will be given".
In pictures: Residents clear Helene debris that could become projectiles
Florida is still reeling from Hurricane Helene's devastation last month, but have now been forced to prepare for the impact of Hurricane Milton's near-record winds.
As the storm approaches, residents have been clearing debris and disposing of items that could become projectiles when the winds hit.
Hundreds of flights cancelled
US airlines are cancelling flights and adjusting schedules as some Florida airports close in anticipation of disruptions from Hurricane Milton.
At least 896 flights within, into, or out of the US have been delayed, and 696 cancelled.
More than 1,500 flights scheduled for Wednesday have already been cancelled, according to flight tracking data provider FlightAware.
Orlando International, one of the busiest airports in the US, said it would cease operations at 8am local time tomorrow, while Tampa International said it was closed today.
Southwest, one of the largest US airlines, said it is adjusting its schedule at several airports that were pausing operations, including Tampa International Airport and Orlando International Airport.
Allegiant Air, Sun County Airlines and JetBlue Airways are among the carriers most likely to be negatively impacted if Hurricanes Milton and Helene, which hit Florida recently, weigh on travel demand, according to analysts at Raymond James.
What route will Hurricane Milton take?
Hurricane Milton is expected to come close to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula en route to striking Florida's densely populated coast late on Wednesday or early Thursday.
Once there, forecasters have warned the hurricane could bring eight to 12ft storm surges, leading to further possible evacuation orders being issued along the Gulf coast.
A stream of vehicles have headed north on Interstate 75, the main road on the west side of the peninsula, as residents follow evacuation orders.
Meanwhile, traffic has clogged up the southbound lanes of the road for miles as others head for the relative safety of Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the other side of the state.
Good evening
Welcome to our live coverage of Hurricane Milton, as the US braces for what Joe Biden has warned could be the "worst storm to hit Florida for over a century".
Officials have pleaded with residents to get out, with evacuation orders in place for over one million people in the state's west-coast counties before the hurricane makes landfall tomorrow or early Thursday morning.
Sarasota city mayor Liz Alpert told Sky News' US partner network NBC News: "You have to evacuate, it [Hurricane Milton] is not survivable."
The storm has taken experts by surprise in how quickly it intensified.
In less than two days, Hurricane Milton went from a tropical storm with winds of 40mph to a chart-busting Category 5 hurricane - before getting even stronger with gusts said to be over 200mph.
"This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century, and God-willing it won't be, but it's looking like that right now," Mr Biden said.
To make matters worse, the storm comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene claimed over 200 lives and left debris littered across Florida.
Veteran hurricane scientists have called the US storm season so far one of the weirdest of their lives as it staggered through a recent quiet period before exploding into action with five hurricanes popping up between 26 September and 6 October.
