Watch live: Florida residents evacuate as Hurricane Milton heads for US

Watch live as Florida braces for Hurricane Milton on Tuesday (8 October) as the Category 4 monster storm heads for the US.

The potential “once in a lifetime” storm rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane on Monday with sustained winds surpassing 180mph, before slowing to Category 4 on Tuesday.

The National Hurricane Center has warned that Milton may regain strength and grow in size, posing “even more danger” as it is expected to make landfall in Florida by Wednesday evening, slamming into the densely populated Tampa Bay.

K-12 schools across 43 of Florida’s 46 counties are set to close on Wednesday, while Orlando International Airport, will halt commercial passenger flights from 8am ET on Wednesday.

“The airport, in collaboration with federal and airline partners, agreed to cease commercial operations to prevent aircraft from operating under unsafe weather conditions for landings and take-offs,” MCO said in a statement.