A growing number of gas stations were flashing empty signs on Tuesday as panic-buying gripped Florida, where residents are bracing for a monster hurricane to make landfall. Hurricane Milton was downgr

Hurricane Milton remains a ferocious storm that could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene’s devastation 12 days ago into projectiles.

A growing number of gasoline retailers were flashing empty signs on Tuesday as panic-buying took hold of Florida, where residents are bracing for a monster hurricane to make landfall. Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 4 storm on Tuesday as it grinded past Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula en route to Florida's Gulf Coast where over 1 million people were ordered to evacuate.

Indian River County is under a hurricane watch and St. Lucie and Martin counties are under a tropical storm watch.

An expanding Hurricane Milton churned toward Florida's battered Gulf Coast on Tuesday, where more than 1 million people were ordered to evacuate a day before the monster storm is forecast to slam the Tampa Bay area.

Less than two weeks after Helene left at least 232 people dead and countless more homeless in six states, the even stronger Hurricane Milton is headed toward Tampa Bay.

Fort Myers, Florida Mayor Kevin Anderson joins Ana Cabrera to share how his city is preparing for Hurricane Milton as Florida braces for a direct hit.

Hurricane Milton is building up a potentially disastrous storm surge as it churns toward Florida’s west coast, where flooding and high winds are expected to inflict widespread damage and put lives at risk.

Hurricane Milton is forecast to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday. Follow here for the latest on forecasts, evacuations and preparations.