Hurricane Milton tracker: Landfall south of Tampa Bay expected soon

UPDATE: Hurricane Milton made landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast near Siesta Key around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The storm's center was about 115 miles southwest of Orlando. We are no longer updating this story. For the latest on Hurricane Milton, visit our new storm tracker page with live updates here.

Original story:

Hurricane Milton is closely approaching Florida's Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall shortly. Milton was expected to make landfall south of Tampa Bay on Wednesday night, the National Hurricane Center said.

As of 8 p.m., Hurricane Milton was 20 miles from Sarasota and 130 miles southwest of Orlando, the NHC said. It has winds of 120 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane.

Hurricane Milton has weakened over the last several hours from a Category 4 to a Category 3. However, it has grown in size and its impact has been felt across the Peninsula. More than 130 tornado warnings were issued by Florida's National Weather Service offices in Miami, Melbourne, and Jacksonville, primarily impacted Central Florida and South Florida.

Florida's west coast is bracing for life-threatening and destructive storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding. Torrential rain, flooding, and damaging winds are the main threats for Central Florida.