Tampa in path of hurricane for first time in a century

(Reuters) - The Tampa, Florida, metropolitan area, home to around 3.1 million people, is in the direct path of a major hurricane, Milton, for the first time in over a century and vulnerable to flooding.

- Timeline of landfall across Tampa Bay area

The storm is expected to reach the west coast of Florida late Wednesday or early Thursday as a hurricane.

- Safety warnings and evacuation orders

Hurricane Milton is expected to damage frame homes and destroy mobile homes as it topples large trees and causes power and communication outages.

Some areas of central Florida will get up to 18 inches of rain with a "high risk of life-threatening flash and urban flooding" in metro areas of Tampa, Orlando and Daytona Beach, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Evacuation orders have been given in low-lying areas and other vulnerable communities in six counties around Tampa Bay that are home to nearly 4 million people. Not all residents face mandatory evacuation.

- Tampa size and growth

The city of Tampa's population of 400,000 has grown nearly sevenfold in the century since it was last hit by a major hurricane. The surrounding metropolitan area, comprising four counties and cities such as St Petersburg, is one of the fastest-growing parts of the United States.

- Others storms that have hit Tampa

The last major hurricane to hit the Tampa Bay area was in 1921 when the city had a population of around 52,000. Eight people died as winds up to 120 mph and a storm surge as high as 11 feet destroyed coastal structures, according to the National Weather Service. The unnamed hurricane was a category 3.

- Geography of Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay, like the rest of Florida's Gulf of Mexico coastline, is vulnerable to storm surge as its shallow, gently sloping ocean floor retains water pushed toward land by wind, forcing the sea onto land.

Barrier islands near Clearwater and St. Petersburg are at particular risk, with officials urging residents to cross bridges to the mainland to avoid drowning.

-Climate change impact

Record or near-record water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico create more intense and frequent hurricanes that pack higher rainfall and greater storm surge risk due to rising sea levels, according to climate scientists.

(Reporting by Andrew Hay; Editing by Leslie Adler)