8:45 p.m. EDT update - Walt Disney World Resort in Florida has announced that it will close for nearly two days due to Hurricane Milton. The theme parks will close on Wednesday afternoon, and are not expected to reopen until at least Friday.

Orlando's tourism machine has begun grinding to a halt ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected hit as a major storm in Florida

Disney World has closed several of its theme parks and Disney Springs as Hurricane Milton hurtles toward Florida's coast.The Category 5 storm is forecast to make landfall in the Tampa Bay region on Thursday morning,