Florida residents are already facing the dire threat of Hurricane Milton, a supercell of tornadoes.
The National Hurricane Center announced Wednesday morning that storms with the potential to produce tornadoes have begun pounding the southern Florida peninsula as Hurricane Milton rapidly approaches the Sunshine State.
The powerful Category 4 storm turned northeast at 17 mph Wednesday morning about 190 miles off the coast of Tampa, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph.
Milton will “remain a major and extremely dangerous hurricane” as it makes landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast Wednesday night.
The storm is expected to remain at hurricane strength as it moves across the Florida peninsula through Thursday, then weaken as it moves through the western Atlantic Ocean.
Follow The Post's latest coverage of Hurricane Milton.
Storm surge of up to 15 feet is expected to inundate parts of the coastline, but the storm's path has shifted slightly to the south, meaning the densely populated Tampa Bay area could see up to 12 feet of flooding. .
Areas from Anna Maria Island to Boca Grande could see storm surges of up to 4 meters, the center said.
“The deepest water depths will occur near the landfall site and along the southern coast, where high waves will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves,” the center said.
