Hurricane Milton will likely hit Florida cities like Orlando, Tampa and Daytona Beach

Hurricane Milton is expected to leave a path of devastation across central Florida.

The hurricane is forecasted to grow in size before arriving over Florida's west coast Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm with 180 to 210 km/h winds. Milton could wreak havoc if waterfront cities like Tampa and St. Petersburg take an anticipated direct hit.

• Live updates: Category 5 Hurricane Milton approaches Florida coast

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tampa Bay and nearby coastal communities could also experience a deadly peak storm surge of three to 4.5 metres, which is high enough to swallow entire houses as fierce winds push seawater ashore. Millions of people have been ordered to evacuate across the state.

"If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN.

After arriving at Florida's west-central coast, Milton will likely remain a hurricane as it moves east across the Florida peninsula, bringing damaging winds, heavy rainfall and the risk of flooding. The storm's probable path stretches across Florida and includes cities like Clearwater, Sarasota, Orlando, Daytona Beach and major tourist destinations like Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Florida. Debris from Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago could also turn into deadly airborne projectiles as Milton churns through the state.

After leaving a trail of destruction, Milton is expected to move out to sea again Thursday afternoon after striking the Cape Canaveral area on Florida's eastern coast, home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center launch site and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Milton will eventually downgrade to a post-tropical storm before dissipating over the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda on Sunday.

"Damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge, and heavy rainfall will extend well outside the forecast cone," the U.S. National Hurricane Center cautioned. "Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida."

Will Milton impact Canada?

According to the Canadian Hurricane Centre, there are "no signs" that Milton will impact weather in Canada. Hurricane Leslie, now over the middle of the Atlantic, is also not expected to approach Canada. The government is warning Canadians to "avoid non-essential travel" to affected areas of the Florida peninsula. Flight disruptions in Canada have already been reported.  

Canadian Hurricane Centre tropical cyclone information from Oct. 8, 2024. (Environment Canada)