ORLANDO, Fla. — Millions of people in Florida are preparing for the impact of Hurricane Milton.
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Photos: Hurricane Milton strengthens en route to Florida
9:22 a.m. update:
The National Hurricane Center confirmed Hurricane Milton has strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm.
Milton now has maximum sustained winds of around 150 mph.
The storm is rapidly intensifying as it moves through the southern Gulf of Mexico en route to Florida.
8:51 a.m. update:
School districts around Central Florida are keeping parents and students updated on school closures.
Orange County Public Schools said fake social media messages are going around saying schools are closed Monday through Friday.
Orange County schools are still open Monday and officials are still determining when and if schools will close.
Read the latest of school closures around Central Florida here:
Tracking Milton: These schools have announced closures
8:01 a.m. update:
Florida Power & Light said its crews are moving out to pre-position before the arrival of Hurricane Milton.
Utility crews from around the state are preparing for massive damage and outages when Milton makes landfall as a major hurricane this week.
The latest forecast data has Milton directly impacting the Tampa Bay area as a major Cat. 3 hurricane on Wednesday night.
Florida residents are advised to make final preparations for the storm while they can.
7:11 a.m. update:
The National Hurricane Center confirmed Hurricane Milton has strengthened into a major Category 3 storm.
Milton now has maximum sustained winds of around 120 mph.
In Central Florida, Hurricane Watches have been issued for Sumter and Polk counties and will be extended as the storm draws closer.
6:53 a.m. update:
Channel 9 is keeping track of where Central Florida residents can get sandbags ahead of the storm.
As the tropics heat up, governments in Central Florida are helping residents prepare for storm impacts.
Here is a list of the sandbag locations being offered this week ahead of possible storm impacts:
Read: See where you can get sandbags in Central Florida
6:03 a.m. update:
Gov. Ron DeSantis is planning to hold a press conference Monday morning.
DeSantis will speak around 9:30 a.m. from the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.
Read: Gov. DeSantis declares state of emergency in 35 Florida counties for Tropical Storm Milton
The governor will share the latest details on the state’s preparation for Hurricane Milton.
Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue and Major General John D. Haas Adjutant General of Florida will join DeSantis at the event.
Watch Gov. DeSantis’ full Sunday evening update:
WFTV will have live coverage of DeSantis’ press conference on Channel 9 and wftv.com.
Original report:
Milton continues to intensify and is still on track to be near major hurricane strength at landfall.
The National Hurricane Center confirmed Milton is now a Category 2 hurricane.
Milton is expected to strengthen further and become a Category 3 major hurricane later on Monday and a Category 4 storm on Tuesday.
Read: See where you can get sandbags in Central Florida
There has been a minor change in the forecast. The timing has slowed down.
It now looks like landfall will be along the west coast of Florida on Wednesday night, then tracking across Central Florida overnight Wednesday into early Thursday.
Landfall could still be anywhere from the Nature Coast to the Fort Myers area, but we have seen a slight tick southward in the last 24 hours.
Read: Tracking Milton: These schools have announced closures
The threat continues to increase that Milton will bring significant impacts to parts of the west coast of Florida early next week, including significant storm surge and hurricane-force winds.
It is becoming increasingly likely that Milton will create very significant impacts on parts of the west coast of Florida, including a significant storm surge and hurricane-force winds.
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Hurricane Watches and Storm Surge Watches will be needed for parts of the West Coast early Monday morning.
In Central Florida, impacts will be based on the exact track of the storm, but the impact threat continues to increase.