Hurricane Milton is churning towards a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida.

Some residents have insisted they will stay after millions were ordered to evacuate and officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving.

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.

Milton has dropped to a Category 4 hurricane, but will remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late on Wednesday or early on Thursday, the National Hurricane Centre said.

Milton was centred early on Wednesday about 360 miles south-west of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 160mph, the National Hurricane Centre reported.

Flooded street
Many communities are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Helene (AP)

Forecasters predicted the storm will retain hurricane strength as it crosses central Florida on Thursday on a path east towards the Atlantic Ocean.

The hurricane’s precise track remains uncertain, as forecasters on Tuesday evening nudged its projected path slightly south of Tampa.

Thousands of fleeing cars clogged Florida’s major roads ahead of the storm, but time for evacuations is running out on Wednesday.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor noted that up to 15ft of storm surge forecast for her city would be deep enough to swallow an entire house.

“So if you’re in it, basically, that’s the coffin that you’re in,” she said.

Milton targets communities that are still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida along its devasting route that left at least 230 dead across the South.

In the bayside town of Punta Gorda, about 100 miles south of Tampa, streets were still filled on Tuesday with 5ft piles of soggy furniture, clothing, books, appliances and other refuse dragged from damaged homes.

Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders across 11 Florida counties with a combined population of about 5.9 million people, according to US Census Bureau estimates.

Officials have warned that anyone staying behind must fend for themselves, as first responders are not expected to risk their lives attempting rescues at the height of the storm.

State and local governments scrambled ahead of the storm to remove piles of debris left in Helene’s wake, fearing that the oncoming hurricane would turn loose wreckage into flying missiles.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the state deployed over 300 dump trucks that had removed 1,300 loads of debris.

In Mexico, authorities in the state of Yucatan reported minor damage from Milton as it passed just offshore.

Power lines, street lights and trees were knocked down near the coast, and some small thatched-roof structures were destroyed, Yucatan Governor Joaquin Diaz said. He did not report any deaths or injuries.