Palm Beach County leaders issued evacuation orders Tuesday for residents living in Zone A — a zone made up of low-lying inland areas not necessarily on the coast — as the state braces for the landfall of Hurricane Milton on Wednesday. Residents can check their evacuation zones on the county's emergency preparedness website.

Forecasters are urging people in Florida to make preparations or leave their homes today, as the National Hurricane Center confirmed that Milton is a "catastrophic Category 5 hurricane" and will hit Florida later today or early tomorrow as a major storm.

For the latest updates on Hurricane Milton's path and projected landfall, read USA TODAY's live hurricane coverage for Wednesday, Oct. 9. TAMPA, Fla. − Hurricane Milton regained Category 5 strength Tuesday as it barreled across the Gulf of Mexico toward the Florida Peninsula,