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Storm shelters throughout Brevard County are set to open Wednesday morning ahead of Hurricane Milton’s arrival on the Space Coast.

The powerful Category 5 hurricane is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida either late Wednesday or early Thursday as a “dangerous major hurricane,” according to the National Weather Service. From there, it will lose some steam as it crosses the state, but Milton is still predicted to be at least a Category 1 when it reaches Brevard bringing with it heavy winds, significant rainfall, possible flooding and a tornado threat.

Uncertainty remains with Milton’s track as it slightly shifted to the south Wednesday morning. Forecasters said it could take a bounce back to the north before making landfall.

Whatever minor shift Milton takes, the National Weather Service in Melbourne, said it’s important not to focus on the precise track.

“Hazardous conditions will occur well outside of the cone,” meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Melbourne posted. “Preparations should be rushed to completion.”

Where is Hurricane Milton?

As of the Wednesday 5 a.m. advisory, Milton was about 160 miles west of the Dry Tortugas and about 300 miles southwest of Tampa. It had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and was moving northeast at 14 mph.

Storm radar for Florida

Shelters open in Brevard County

Three shelters will open in Brevard County on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.

The shelters are for "residents who live in manufactured or mobile homes, flood-prone or low-lying areas, or those needing safe harbor from potentially dangerous wind and rain conditions anticipated from Hurricane Milton, which is expected to begin impacting the county sometime late Wednesday and continuing throughout the day Thursday," according to a release from county officials.

The shelters are pet friendly. Space Coast Area Transit will provide transportation to the shelters for registered special needs clients. To request transportation to a special needs shelter call 2-1-1.

Residents going to shelters will need to take their own supplies, including bedding, folding chairs, or sleeping bags. It's also recommended to bring any needed medications, multiple changes of clothing, personal hygiene items and entertainment items, like games, cards, books or magazines.

Sign up for text messages about Hurricane Milton

The staff at USA Today Network is doing everything we can to keep the community updated and informed.

As a resource, we are manning a text message service to bring you the latest updates on Hurricane Milton, connect you with resources and answer questions. To sign up, submit your number below or text 'Hello' to (239) 241-6343.

We will do our best to answer every question individually, but depending on volume of inquiries we may not be able to get to every message right away. It is important to note that we are not an emergency services line, so if you have an emergency please call 911 or your local authorities right away.

John Gallas, Kim Luciani and Cheryl McCloud contributed to this report.

Today's Weather Outlook

A major weather system brings plenty of rain and mountain snow to the West today. At the same time, dry weather and moderating temperatures are expected for the eastern U.S.

An elongated cold front will inch east and south across the western half of the U.S. today. By later in the day, this cold front will stretch from the Upper Mississippi Valley into the central Plains and Southwest. Expect occasional rain showers and even a few thunderstorms for the central/southern Rockies and Southwest throughout the day. There could be some rain showers in the northern Plains in the morning, which will spread into the Upper Mississippi Valley and central Plains during the afternoon and evening.

Most of Wyoming will be cold enough for wet snow or a rain/snow mix for all of today. Likewise, cold temperatures will be present across the tallest parts of western Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, northern Arizona and northern New Mexico. These areas will also see snow throughout the day. Snowfall accumulations of a Trace to several inches will be common, though the highest elevations could see a foot or more of fresh powder.

Meanwhile, a warm front will try to lift across the Northwest for the end of the week. Rain and mountain snow will move into the Pacific Northwest starting late morning or early afternoon and will then push into northern Washington by the evening. There could also even be some light freezing rain that develops in the evening on the eastern slopes of the Cascades. Here, expect a Trace to a couple inches of new snow.

Expansive high pressure will be settled over the eastern half of the U.S. This will foster dry and quiet weather along and east of the Mississippi River. Most of California into the Great Basin and northern Rockies should also stay dry.

Expect near to above normal temperatures for most of the central U.S. into the Great Lakes and Northeast. Unseasonably cool weather will be found across the West as well as the Deep South and Southeast.

High temperatures will mainly reach the 60s and 70s for the eastern half of the U.S. Several places in the interior Northeast will report temperatures in the 50s, while Florida will see isolated 80s. Forties and 50s will be in the forecast for the Northwest, Great Basin, Rockies and northern Plains, though the tallest peaks will have temperatures peak only in the 20s and 30s. Sixties, 70s and lower 80s are likely for the rest of the West, including California, the Desert Southwest and the southern half of the Plains.

Brevard emergency officials Wednesday warned of widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall on the gulf coast and impact all of Central Florida.

Milton heads toward Florida as a powerful Category 5 hurricane and is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida either late Wednesday or early Thursday. After hitting the gulf where it is expected to have devastating effects, Milton will lose some power as it crosses the state. The storm is still predicted to be at least a Category 1 when it reaches Brevard bringing with it heavy winds, significant rainfall, possible flooding and a tornado threat.

Brevard County director John Scott said the county is poised to be able to take on Milton's effects, which are predicted to last for some time due to the size of the storm.

"It's more wind than we've seen in a while but it's wind we should be able to handle," Scott said. "We'll see conditions deteriorate throughout the day. We will see those early winds arrive after 5 p.m."

Wednesday morning is the last opportunity to make final preparations before the storm.

Winds from Milton are expected to be above 75 mph with gusts up to 90 mph. County officials are prepared for 8-10 inches of rain with up to 12 inches in some areas of Brevard.

"We're going to have pretty widespread power outages," Scott said. FPL will likely be sending the majority of their workers to the gulf coast where devastating effects are most expected.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey said the county's causeways will not be closed except for a brief inspection immediately following the storm after which the bridges will be reopen to traffic to barrier islands.

Shelters open in Brevard County

Three shelters opened in Brevard County on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.

The shelters are for "residents who live in manufactured or mobile homes, flood-prone or low-lying areas, or those needing safe harbor from potentially dangerous wind and rain conditions anticipated from Hurricane Milton, which is expected to begin impacting the county sometime late Wednesday and continuing throughout the day Thursday," according to a release from county officials.

The shelters are pet friendly. Space Coast Area Transit will provide transportation to the shelters for registered special needs clients. To request transportation to a special needs shelter call 2-1-1.

Residents going to shelters will need to take their own supplies, including bedding, folding chairs, or sleeping bags. It's also recommended to bring any needed medications, multiple changes of clothing, personal hygiene items and entertainment items, like games, cards, books or magazines.

Sign up for text messages about Hurricane Milton

The staff at USA Today Network is doing everything we can to keep the community updated and informed.

As a resource, we are manning a text message service to bring you the latest updates on Hurricane Milton, connect you with resources and answer questions. To sign up, submit your number below or text 'Hello' to (239) 241-6343.

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