St. Lucie County, Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie officials said Wednesday that preparations are ongoing ahead of expected impacts of Hurricane Helene.

St. Lucie County officials say tornadoes ahead of Hurricane Milton killed 4 people.

Hurricane Milton barreled into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after plowing across Florida, pounding cities with ferocious winds and rain, and whipping up a barrage of tornadoes. It caused at least four deaths and compounded the misery wrought by Helene while sparing Tampa a direct hit.

Hurricane Milton hurled rain, tornadoes and tropical storm-force winds at the U.S. coast Wednesday on the storm’s steady, potentially catastrophic march toward Florida, where officials issued a final plea to residents to evacuate or face grim odds of survival.

Hurricane Milton has spawned a destructive tornado outbreak, with more than two dozen reported twisters on Wednesday ahead of landfall.

Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm, is churning toward Florida’s west coast. The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, is facing the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.

Hurricane Milton continued its path toward Florida's west coast on Wednesday, with landfall expected late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Sumter County and Lake County storm shelters are open,