The US is preparing to deal with the strongest hurricane in over 100 years.

Hurricane Milton stunned meteorologists by escalating from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just two days. The storm is expected to make landfall near Tampa late on October 9th (local time).

"This could be the worst hurricane to hit Florida in over a century," President Joe Biden told reporters on October 8.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged Florida residents to take the storm seriously, warning that time for safe evacuation was running out.

"If you're going to leave, leave now," he said. "Almost the entire west coast of Florida could be hit by a major storm surge."

Hurricane Milton "will definitely cause casualties," Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert told NBC News. "People must evacuate."

Some areas of Florida are still dealing with the damage caused by Category 4 Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago. Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend area near the state capital, Tallahassee, before causing major flooding in Georgia and the Carolinas.

But according to meteorologists, Milton was a much stronger storm, with wind gusts exceeding 320 km/h and an unprecedented number of lightning strikes.

Not only are residents evacuating to northern and southern parts of the state, but the Florida Aquarium in Tampa has also moved penguins, snakes, lizards, alligators, turtles, toads, and crabs to higher ground to avoid flooding. Meanwhile, correctional authorities have evacuated 4,636 inmates from jails in the storm's path.

Walt Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks also announced closures ahead of the storm, as the storm's path was expected to pass through Orlando.

More than 1,500 flights to and from Florida on October 9th were canceled. Tampa International Airport closed on October 8th, while Orlando International Airport announced it would cease operations on the morning of October 9th.