On Wednesday evening (October 9th), Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, bringing with it strong winds, heavy rain, and deadly storm surges. The storm, classified as a Category 3 hurricane, officially hit near Siesta Key in Florida with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour.
As Milton moves along the west coast of Florida, the National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening storm surges, strong winds, and flash floods continuing to occur. This storm is expected to bring deadly storm surges to most coastal areas of the Gulf Coast in Florida, including densely populated cities such as Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Fort Myers.
Siesta Key, located about 68 miles south of Tampa, is a barrier island near Sarasota known for its white sandy beaches and a population of approximately 5,500 residents. While Milton did not make a direct hit on Tampa, it still poses a threat of deadly storm surges and strong winds to the region.
According to PowerOutage.us, over one million households and businesses in Florida were left without power after Milton’s landfall on Wednesday night. Earlier in the day, tornadoes spawned within the hurricane band destroyed some power lines.
Many utility companies in Florida had warned their customers in advance to prepare for power outages caused by the storm. With the approach of Hurricane Milton, nearly one hundred tornado warnings were issued in South Florida on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service office in Miami reported that as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday, a total of 98 tornado warnings had been issued in South Florida. The office also confirmed at least nine tornadoes in the Miami area.
President Biden stated on Tuesday that Milton could be the most severe storm to hit Florida in over a century.
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This article was originally published on October 10, 2024, by an Epoch Times reporter and has been rewritten and translated into English based on the original content.