Hurricane Milton intensified at an astonishing rate over 24 hours, become one of the Atlantic’s most powerful hurricanes on record as warnings for Florida’s Gulf Coast grew more dire.

Hurricane Milton began its turn toward Florida on Tuesday still a powerful Category 4 hurricane with a forecast landfall near Tampa Bay and projected path that will cut through Central Florida.

Warnings over Hurricane Milton come just 10 days after Hurricane Helene - the deadliest mainland storm since Katrina in 2005 - pummelled the US south-east, killing at least 225 people. Hundreds more are missing. At least 14 of those deaths were in Florida, where 51 of 67 counties are now under emergency warnings as Milton approaches.