Image source, Reuters

As people rush to get out of harm's way, demand for petrol in Florida has jumped - with the latest data showing at least 23% of gas stations in the state have now run out of gas.

According to GasBuddy's live fuel tracker, 59% of gas stations in Tampa and St Petersburg have been emptied out, with hours to go before Hurricane Milton makes landfall.

Florida is the third-largest gasoline consumer in the US, but with no refineries in the state it is dependent on waterborne imports.

Governor DeSantis earlier said the state has sufficient fuel supplies to last until after the storm has passed. However, he also noted delivery disruptions could be possible if the ports of Tampa, St Petersburg and Manatee are damaged by Milton.

Mark Glass, commissioner for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), spoke shortly after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at the last briefing. He had a stark warning for any would-be looters.

"Florida will not stand for looting, we’ll not stand for it," he said. "We will come after you and we’re not going to stop if anyone takes advantage of any of our citizens or visitors in this time of need. So pay attention to that."

DeSantis also warned against looting at a briefing on Tuesday in Tallahassee.

“You don’t know what’s behind that door in a Second Amendment state,” the Republican governor said.

Gordon Corera
Reporting from Tampa, Florida

In Tampa’s Ybor City district the bars and restaurants are closed, but I found Faten Alhamdan boarding up her shop.

She kept it open so people could get last-minute supplies, but is now trying to protect it as best she can.

When I ask her for her name she shows me her arm. She has written her name on it.

“It is better for people to know my identity – just in case.”

She knows that Hurricane Milton could be bad. “This is the worst one. Hopefully everyone is safe.”

She is prepared for the power to go out, but hopes that is the worst that happens.

“Losing power is no big deal. Losing lives – that’s what matters,” she says.

The most recent Hurricane Milton advisory from the National Hurricane Center has just come in.

It is now forecast to be at category three strength at landfall closer to 12am midnight (05:00 GMT), over southern Sarasota, Florida.

It has also increased in speed as it churns towards Florida, notching 17mph (10 km/h).

Holly Honderich
Reporting from Miami, Florida

Sylvester Fernandes, 73, had thought he’d be able to wait out Milton from his home in Homestead, a small city on the southern edge of Miami’s suburbs where he lives with his wife in a mobile home.

But early in the morning on Wednesday, he and his wife were awoken by the sound of a warning for a tornado - twisters have since been spotted in other parts of Florida.

“At four o’clock, everything went dark…no internet, no nothing,” he tells the BBC. “It was really scary. It said go and find somewhere safe.”

He put the shutters down, turned off the electric and the water and then he and his wife hit the road, driving into the heart of Miami to an evacuation centre.

Homestead will not get the worst of it, he says, but “it’s too risky to stay”.

Most of his neighbours have stayed behind, he says, shrugging. “They don’t want to leave home.”

If you're just joining us, here's the latest on what Joe Biden said may be the worst storm to hit Florida in 100 years.

• Hurricane Milton has been fluctuating between the top of the storm scale for the past 24 hours, but is currently heading towards Florida as a category four storm, with 155mph (250km/h) winds

• Landfall is now forecast to be at closer to midnight local time (05:00 GMT) over southern Sarasota, Florida, when Milton is projected to be a category three storm
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a tornado watch for most of southern Florida, with at least one twister spotted making its way across Interstate 95
• 51 counties are under a state of emergency and 31 have issued evacuation orders
• Fema has stressed Milton is a "deadly and catastrophic storm". It says 1,200 search and rescue personnel are ready to be deployed in the aftermath
• Governor Ron DeSantis insists there is still time "to make decisions to protect your family" as he warns Florida is preparing for a major hit
• The storm's outer banks have already reached Florida's coast with tropical storm force winds and heavy rain to follow this afternoon

Gordon Corera
Reporting from Tampa, Florida

Although parts of the city feel like a ghost town, there are a few people out on the streets.

I found Seamus Payne going for a walk through the entertainment district, which is just outside the mandatory evacuation zone and where he lives.

“One last walk before the storm hits,” he tells me. His wife, he said, did not want to join him, though. "There's quite a lot of fear going around."

The only other time he can recall it being this quiet was during Covid. He has stockpiled a couple of weeks worth of food and water in case the power goes out and shops do not open, supplies he says he can also share with his neighbours.

“It's going to be like nothing I’ve ever experienced, but I’m as prepared as I can be.”

Residents in Florida are continuing to evacuate the area and boarding up businesses and homes as Hurricane Milton edges closer.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, we brought you some warnings that Hurricane Milton could trigger tornadoes - we have in the last few moments seen some footage of tornadoes developing in southern Florida.

The official National Weather Service Miami account has recently shared images of a tornado making its way across Interstate 75.

In a separate post, it urges people in the south-east Hendry County to take shelter from the "ongoing dangerous tornado".

Image source, NSW

On specific preparedness plans, the Florida governor says that extra personnel has been made available from the National Guard, Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Fish and Wildlife.

Hundreds of search and rescue personnel are also on hand to begin "immediate" operations as soon as Hurricane Milton passes, DeSantis adds.

Though he stresses the category four storm will have a major impact on the state, he says people "still have time now to make decisions to protect yourself and your family".

Before closing the press conference, he notes that there is still a "massive amount of space at the shelters", and the roads "are flowing".

While we've been hearing from Fema's Deanne Criswell, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been speaking in what will be his last briefing before Hurricane Milton makes landfall late on Wednesday night.

He says the state is now "bracing and preparing for a major hit" but remains confident "we'll get through it".

DeSantis says 51 counties remain under a state of emergency but authorities are "prepared and we will respond".

He adds "there is still hope" Milton could weaken further before it reaches Florida after it was downgraded to a category four storm earlier by the National Hurricane Center.

Criswell says officials are "already seeing the impacts of the storm".

Some people might still be able to evacuate safely, she says, but those that are staying should refer to their local authority for advice.

Criswell goes on to say that she's been in contact with Florida's Governor, Ron DeSantis. Fema is also updating both US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris on the situation.

She says that there are 1,200 additional search and rescue staff in place, adding that millions of meals and water supplies have been moved to Florida.

Criswell urges people in the path of the hurricane to "prepare for catastrophic impacts".

We’re now hearing from Deanne Criswell, head of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), who is giving an update on Hurricane Milton at a press briefing.

Criswell says the hurricane will bring a "deadly and catastrophic" storm.

She says she will be travelling back to Florida today and will remain there to assess the impact and federal resources moving into the area.

Safety is the most important thing, she adds.

We're soon going to be hearing from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who will be making one of his last addresses before Hurricane Milton makes landfall.

We're also going to soon be hearing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), which will be discussing its actions to prepare for Hurricane Milton.

Fema Administrator Deanne Criswell will host that virtual briefing.

You'll be able to follow by pressing watch live above from 14:00 GMT (10:00 EST).

We'll also be bringing you all the key updates from the briefings here on this page. Stay with us.

Simon King and Elizabeth Rizzini
Lead weather presenters

Image source, Reuters

A storm surge is an abnormal rise in sea level caused by a storm.

Tropical cyclones such as hurricanes do not just bring strong winds and heavy rain. Often it is the storm surge that produces the most damage and threat to life through extensive coastal flooding.

Tropical cyclones form at sea fuelled by warm water. Strong winds develop as air begins to circulate. Water is pushed in the direction in which the winds are blowing, causing the water levels to rise.

This is not particularly noticeable in the deep sea, but as the ocean floor becomes shallower close to land, the wall of water has to rise and is driven onshore by strong winds.

Storm surges are worse at high tide and other factors contribute to the water level too, such as the direction of approach, size and speed of the storm, central pressure and topography of the coastline.

For Hurricane Milton, as it approaches land from the west, it will be the southern side of the eye where the largest storm surge will be.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects Milton to make landfall as an "extremely dangerous major hurricane" late on Wednesday night or early on Thursday morning, local time.

It could hit Florida at about 02:00 EDT (06:00 GMT) on Thursday, according to a forecaster from CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

Milton could strike near the city of Tampa, whose wider metropolitan area has a population of more than three million people.

Forecasters are warning of torrential rain, flash flooding, high winds and possible storm surges - which occur when water moves inland from the coast.

They say Milton could be the worst storm to hit the area in about a century - with a surge of 10-15ft (3-4.5m) possible, and localised rainfall of up to 1.5ft.

Image source, Reuters

Hurricane Milton is going to be like nothing Florida has ever seen before, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) says, as it urges people to evacuate.

"Nobody needs to die from this storm," Fema administrator Deanne Criswell tells the BBC's US partner CBS News.

She stresses that while the storm will bring catastrophic wind and flooding, people "may still have time to get out".

The storm "is going to be like nothing they have ever seen before", she adds.

Hurricane Milton has been downgraded to a category four, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) says, as it warned the storm will still be "extremely dangerous" when it hits Florida.

The NHC says the hurricane has winds of 155mph (250km/h) - just 2mph below the category five threshold.

"On the forecast track, the center of Milton will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico today, make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida late tonight or early Thursday morning, and move off the east coast of Florida over the western Atlantic Ocean Thursday afternoon," it adds.

While Florida officials have been urging those living in evacuation or coastal zones to leave, some residents in more central parts of the state are choosing to hunker down until Hurricane Milton has passed.

Champions Gate resident Leonard Nugent, originally from Ireland, moved to the central Florida town five years ago knowing about the risks major storms would pose.

But he says hurricanes tend to weaken once they make landfall and he is confident the houses in his gated community "were built to withstand hurricanes".

However, Nugent admits he does feel "apprehensive" about the storm's arrival.

"We’ve taken all the outside furniture inside. Our neighbours have done the same with anything loose that could go flying," he tells the BBC.

“A lot of the neighbours have been going around looking for anything loose, helping each other and letting each other know. It’s a real community effort."

Image source, Leonard Nugent