LIVE: Hurricane Milton Radar | FOX 4

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane on Wednesday night or Friday morning. Areas are already seeing the effect of the storm. Hurricane Milton continued on its path to the west coast of Florida on Wednesday, likely to remain a major hurricane when it finally makes landfall. 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. The monster storm maintained strength overnight but fell to a Category 4 on Wednesday morning. Forecasters predict that it will likely remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall later on Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning. "Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning.