Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday evening along Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm, unleashing powerful winds, deadly storm surge, and the threat of widespread flooding across much of the state.
More than 2 million customers lost power as Hurricane Milton carved a path through central Florida late Wednesday, according to PowerOutages.us. Deaths have been reported by police at the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce. Shocking images show how the roof of the iconic Tropicana Stadium has been ripped off from the power of the winds.
Milton, which twice reached Category 5 status while drawing energy from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph when it hit Siesta Key, Florida, at 8:30 p.m., according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm brought a dangerous storm surge to densely populated areas along Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Fort Myers.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that while Hurricane Milton was a significant storm, it did not reach “the worst case scenario” that officials had feared.
Speaking to reporters, DeSantis noted that the worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota County, where water levels reached 8 to 10 feet, which was less severe than the surge caused by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago.
“We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” DeSantis said. “The storm was significant but thankfully, this was not the worst case scenario.”
He also warned that water levels in many Florida rivers are expected to continue rising in the coming days, leading to potential flooding even after the storm has passed.
Read more at Newsweek.com
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