Thousands of cars were lined up across the highway as people were evacuating Southwest Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton.

As Florida's Gulf Coast braces for the impacts of Hurricane Milton Wednesday, the storm is causing severe weather across the state.

Hurricane Milton remains a powerful storm as it moves toward Florida’s West Coast. It is expected to make landfall between Tampa and Fort Myers late Wednesday night into early Thursday, bringing life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds.

The National Weather Service in Miami posted a photo of the funnel crossing the highway Wednesday morning on the social media platform X with the dire warning: “TORNADO crossing I-75 as we speak! Seek shelter NOW!

Hurricane Milton dropped to a Category 4 early Wednesday as it churns toward Florida's west coast. The National Hurricane Center had predicted it would likely weaken, but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Hurricane Milton churned Wednesday toward a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay after millions were ordered to evacuate and officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving.

TORNADO crossing I-75 as we speak! Seek shelter NOW!” the post caption read. Forecasters warned tornados and heavy rain would be likely on Wednesday as Hurricane Milton closes in on the Florida coast.