Center of category 4 storm is 120 miles from Tampa and expected to make landfall Wednesday or early Thursday

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Tropical storm-force winds reached Florida’s western coast Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center, as the state prepares for what has been called the “storm of the century”.

The center of category 4 Hurricane Milton is still 120 miles south-west of Tampa, and expected to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday along a low-lying stretch of the Florida coast that also includes the heavily populated and highly vulnerable communities of St Petersburg and Sarasota.