Large, powerful Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida

Hurricane Milton made landfall near Sarasota, Florida, at 8:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 205 km/h.

Forecasters with the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) issued a rare “extreme wind warning” as the storm’s intense eyewall approached the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday evening. “Treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to an interior room or shelter NOW!,” the NWS said in its warning.

The large and powerful hurricane, which spent two days as a scale-topping Category 5 storm, is expected to push a life-threatening storm surge into the coast as it moves ashore.

Widespread damaging winds, flash flooding from heavy rains, and an ongoing risk for tornadoes will continue as Hurricane Milton treks across the state through Wednesday night.

Keep up-to-date with the latest Hurricane Milton developments by visiting The Weather Network’s hurricane hub.

There were more than 1.1 million customers without power across the state of Florida as of 9:20 p.m. EDT Wednesday, according to data collected by PowerOutage.US.

Winds gusted to 154 km/h at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport as the eye of the storm approached the coast on Wednesday evening. A gust of 94 km/h was recorded at Tampa International Airport around 8:15 p.m. EDT.

A Saildrone floating in the Gulf of Mexico near the centre of the storm on Wednesday evening reported waves of more than 8.5 metres high alongside hurricane force winds.

Life-threatening storm surge, wind damage ongoing

A dangerous and destructive storm surge is likely pushing into the coast as Hurricane Milton’s powerful eyewall makes landfall. Florida’s western coast is exceptionally vulnerable to storm surge flooding.

Communities near and south of the eyewall could see up to 4.5 metres of storm surge flooding as the hurricane’s strong and persistent winds push seawater into the coast. This much inundation is unsurvivable for people in vulnerable areas.

More than one million people in coastal areas are under evacuation orders, with the region still reeling from the widespread destruction of Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago. Officials have called this the largest evacuation for the area since 2017 when Hurricane Irma hit, putting major strain on highways as residents flee, and leaving several gas stations without any fuel left.

Powerful winds in the core of the hurricane will cause significant damage near the point of landfall. Damage to homes and businesses is likely, along with long-lasting power outages in the hardest-hit communities. Power outages are expected to last for days in the storm’s wake.

Flooding rains, tornadoes also a major issue

Many communities throughout Florida could see 150-300+ mm of rain during this event. Some localized areas could even see up to 450 mm. Between 200-300 mm is expected for both Tampa and Orlando, while areas south of the track could still pick up 100-150 mm of tropical rain.

“Major to locally catastrophic flash flooding” is expected from Tampa Bay inland toward Orlando as Milton makes its way inland through the overnight hours, the NWS said Wednesday night.

We’ve also seen an intense and sustained tornado outbreak as Milton’s outer bands raked across the state of Florida.

Multiple tornadoes have occurred throughout the state, causing damage to buildings and vehicles. Storm chasers across southern and central Florida reported several large tornadoes during the day Wednesday.

A risk for tornadoes will continue across the Florida Peninsula as Milton makes its way across the state overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

Milton broke records before making landfall

Thanks to extremely warm sea surface temperatures, Milton quickly became one of the fastest, intensifying storms on record in the Atlantic Ocean, surging from a tropical depression to a dangerous Category 5 hurricane in just 49 hours.

It is also the strongest storm on our planet for 2024 so far, beating out Hurricane Beryl in July.

A major hurricane hasn’t directly hit the Tampa Bay area in living memory. The last major hurricane to strike the region occurred back in 1921.

According to RBC analysts, Hurricane Milton could cost insurers $60 billion.

WATCH: Gas shortages and empty streets as Florida braces for Milton’s impact

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