Hurricane Milton moved across central Florida on Thursday after hitting the state's west coast the night before. The storm caused deadly tornadoes, destroyed homes, and left nearly two million people without power.
Milton made landfall near Siesta Key on Wednesday evening as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 mph (195 kph). By late evening, its wind speed had dropped to 105 mph (165 kph), making it a Category 2 hurricane, but still dangerous. The storm’s center was 75 miles southwest of Orlando.
A flash flood emergency was declared in the Tampa Bay area, with cities like Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater seeing heavy rain. St. Petersburg received over 16 inches of rain on Wednesday alone.
Governor Ron DeSantis said he hoped Tampa Bay would avoid major damage, although a storm surge of up to 13 feet was still possible. The storm also triggered at least 19 tornadoes, damaging around 125 homes, most of which were mobile homes.
Two deaths were reported in Fort Pierce, likely due to a tornado. About 100 homes were destroyed there, where 17 tornadoes were recorded.
More than 1.8 million homes and businesses in Florida lost power. Milton is expected to continue across Florida and into the Atlantic on Thursday, though it may weaken over time. Even so, it could still cause dangerous storm surges.
This hurricane comes just two weeks after Florida was hit by Hurricane Helene, which caused significant damage. Millions of people were ordered to evacuate, and both storms are expected to cause billions of dollars in damage.
