Live updates on Hurricane Milton: The storm is getting bigger as it gets closer to Florida

The latest headlines from our reporters across the U.S. are delivered straight to your inbox every weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Florida residents in the path of Hurricane Milton were told to seek shelter Wednesday afternoon before the storm made landfall in the evening.

As Milton continues to fluctuate in intensity and weaken to a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center predicts it will be “one of the most devastating hurricanes ever for West Central Florida.”

The storm's magnitude continues to increase and winds are expected to increase along Florida's west coast this afternoon, the NHC warned.

In Pinellas County's latest emergency warning, officials urged residents to “GET OUT NOW. This is your last chance to get out before the storm.”

Federal and state officials urged those in Milton's path to evacuate to avoid “catastrophic” winds, up to 18 inches of rain and storm surges up to 15 feet high before the major hurricane hits Florida's central west coast.

“This is the 11th hour. If you are in an evacuation zone, now is the time to get out,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chard Chronister told CNN on Wednesday.

Vice President Kamala Harris warned that even Florida's toughest residents would not survive the “historic” hurricane, she said The Late Show on Tuesday evening.