'It's a ghost town around here': Milton approaches Florida as a Category 4 hurricane

Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast late Wednesday or early Thursday

Hurricane Milton dropped to a Category 4 early Wednesday as it churns toward Florida’s west coast. The National Hurricane Center had predicted it would likely weaken, but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.

The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.