Hurricane Milton makes landfall as Category 3 storm

Hurricane Milton made landfall as a "dangerous Category 3" storm near Siesta Key, on Florida's central west coast on Thursday (EDT), the National Hurricane Center said.

With sustained winds of 193 kph (120 mph), it spawning tornados and lashed the region with rain as it threatened the Tampa Bay area, where it could deliver a life-threatening surge of seawater.

The storm could bring a surge of seawater as high as nine to 2.7 to 4 meters in some areas and dump six to 150 to 300 mm of rain, with as much as 18 inches (450 mm) possible in spots. The National Weather Service confirmed at least 16 tornadoes in Florida on Wednesday, and more were expected into the early hours of Thursday.

9pm EDT #Hurricane #Milton Position Update:

A sustained wind of 73 mph & gust to 102 mph was recently reported at a WeatherFlow station at Skyway Fishing Pier. A wind gust of 60 mph was recently reported at the Orlando Executive Airport.https://t.co/LQEVorqXZH pic.twitter.com/Y3bmIHV8sb

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 10, 2024

At sea, the hurricane created waves close to 8.5 meters high, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.

The four bridges spanning Tampa Bay were closed before the storm was due to make landfall, according to the Florida 511 website. Nearly everyone who decided to flee appeared to have done so, as most streets in nearby St. Petersburg were nearly deserted by midday on Wednesday.

Most causeways connecting the Gulf barrier islands to the mainland were also shut, stranding any who decided to ride out the storm despite pleas from officials.

Milton became the third-fastest intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic, growing from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in less than 24 hours.