Hurricane Milton continues to pose an extremely serious threat to Florida, where the potentially historic strike will produce a devastating, life-threatening storm surge, widespread wind damage, flooding rainfall and tornadoes beginning Wednesday.

“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” the National Hurricane Center said in its discussion Tuesday morning.

All preparations must be completed as soon as possible on Tuesday. If you are in an area prone to storm surges, follow the advice of local officials and evacuate if instructed to do so. This is a serious situation, with the National Hurricane Center forecasting a storm surge of as much as 10 to 15 feet above ground level along Florida’s western Gulf Coast, including the Tampa Bay area, if the peak surge arrives at high tide.

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Here’s the latest status on Milton: The hurricane is centered 560 miles southwest of Tampa. It is a strong Category 4 with winds of 155 mph as of 5 a.m. EDT, tracking east-northeast at 12 mph.

Milton reached a maximum intensity of 186 mph on Monday, making it one of the most intense Atlantic Basin hurricanes on record.

An eyewall replacement cycle has caused Milton to experience some reduction in intensity overnight, but it remains a serious threat to Florida.

Hurricane and storm surge warnings are in effect here: A hurricane warning is in effect along much of Florida’s western Gulf Coast, from Bonita Beach north to the mouth of the Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay. These warnings also extend inland through central Florida, including Orlando. This means that hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 75 miles per hour or higher) within the warning area are generally expected within 36 hours, or in this case Wednesday afternoon into the overnight hours.

Several tropical storm watches and warnings and hurricane warnings cover other parts of Florida, southeastern Georgia and southern South Carolina, as shown on the map below.

A storm surge warning extends from Flamingo north to the Suwannee River, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. This means that a life-threatening water rise due to storm surge is expected in the area, usually within 36 hours.

Here is the latest timing and intensity forecast: The forecast calls for Milton to continue to experience gradual weakening as it approaches Florida due to increasing wind shear and dry air, but it should remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall sometime later Wednesday through early Thursday.

It is important to note that this weakening will not reduce the impacts we see from Milton, including storm surges and destructive winds. Milton will also become larger as it approaches Florida, allowing the effects of wind, storm surge and rainfall to spread over a larger area.

In short, don’t let your guard down if you see Milton weakening as it approaches landfall, as this is expected and the hurricane will remain an extremely serious threat to Florida.

Impacts forecast

Storm surge

According to the National Hurricane Center’s latest forecast, storm surge will be as high as 10 to 15 feet above ground level when the peak surge coincides with high tides along Florida’s west-central Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay. Storm surge could reach as much as 6 to 10 feet south to Fort Myers Beach and in areas north of Tampa Bay.

If the upper end of the storm surge forecast materializes for the Tampa Bay area, it would be the highest in more than a century.

The storm surge will be most destructive near and south of where the center of the storm crosses the coast. As previously mentioned, if you are in an area prone to storm surges, you should follow the advice of local officials and evacuate if necessary.

The storm surge should build Wednesday before likely peaking Wednesday night into early Thursday.

Much of Florida’s west coast will see high tides on Wednesday afternoon and high tides on Thursday morning.

Storm surge could also inundate parts of Florida’s east coast, as well as coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina, due to winds blowing onshore as Milton passes Wednesday night through Thursday.

Wind damage

Tropical storm conditions could arrive in West Florida as early as Wednesday, meaning all preparations should be completed before then.

The strongest winds, which could cause structural damage, down trees and knock out power, will occur near where downtown Milton crosses the coast in west-central Florida and then runs inland through central Florida toward the Orlando area. In these areas, power outages can last for days.

The timing for the strongest winds will begin Wednesday afternoon along the western Gulf Coast and then spread eastward across central Florida during the first part of Thursday.

Areas further away from the landfall point in North and South Florida will also see some strong wind gusts that could at least down trees and cause scattered power outages.

Below is a look at the peak wind threat based on Milton’s current trajectory. Please note that this prediction may change in future updates.

Rainfall Floods

Florida has been drenched in rainfall since the weekend due to a front that has draped over the state. Flood warnings are in place across much of the Florida peninsula due to rain preceding Milton’s arrival and rainfall from the hurricane itself midweek.

Totals in Florida’s central and northern peninsula could reach 5 to 12 inches, with 18 inches locally through Thursday. This could lead to significant flash flooding and river flooding.

(For even more detailed weather data in your area, check out your 15-minute forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)

Tornadoes

An isolated tornado threat may develop across much of West Central and South Florida Tuesday evening. The threat of isolated tornadoes will then continue across Florida’s central and southern peninsula through Wednesday and Wednesday night.

Check back with Weather.com in the coming days for updates as details become clearer.