According to the National Hurricane Centre, Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday night as a “dangerous Category 3” storm near Siesta Key, on Florida’s central west coast.
Siesta Key is a barrier island located just south of Sarasota.
Milton had sustained winds of 120 mph at landfall. However, its strength diminished as it moved inland. The hurricane centre asked people living in the Tampa and St Petersburg areas to shelter in place as “extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds” were spreading through the area.
After landfall, Milton will continue across Florida while rapidly weakening after losing the fuel of the warm Gulf waters. However, it still maintains its hurricane status. Milton will exit the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday and transition into a tropical storm.
CBS News reported, citing GasBuddy, that as of Wednesday morning, a little over 23 percent of Florida gas stations were without fuel, including more than 59 percent in the area around Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg.
Those numbers had risen since Tuesday night. Earlier, the National Weather Service in Miami observed at least four twisters, including a “multi-vortex tornado,” as meteorologists said storm surges were starting to arrive along the southwestern Florida coast. Tornado warnings were issued for various cities, and hurricane and storm surge warnings were already in place for many places.
A devastating force hit Florida. Hurricane #Milton and its power !#miltonhurricane #Florida #Tampa #Huracan #HurricanMilton pic.twitter.com/Vb83zxCWLY
—
Short Reports
On Monday, after unfurling into an explosive, massive Category 5 storm with winds topping 180 mph, Milton’s sustained wind speeds started to reduce as the storm was about to land. Earlier, forecasters termed it a “catastrophic” hurricane.
Serious damage and flooding were expected after the storm reached powerful Category 3. Speaking to CBS News, Jeff Masters, a scientist who formerly worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s hurricane hunters, said, “Some of the biggest catastrophes in hurricane history were from weakening storms,” Masters said.
“Katrina was weakening as it approached the shore and caused USD 190 billion in damage. It was a Cat 3 at landfall, formerly a Cat 5. Well, here we have another former Cat 5 that will be a Cat 3 at landfall, and the storm surge is baked in. It’s going to do unprecedented damage in this part of Florida,” he said.
OMG! Tornadoes generated by Hurricane #Milton have devastated many areas of #Florida. We have to pray for the safety of the people of Florida. #miltonhurricane #HurricaneMilton #TampaBay #FLwx #Tornado #AgathaAllAlong pic.twitter.com/esl3i4pZzO
— Fire Bred (@firebred_) October 10, 2024
A Hurricane warning has been issued for Florida west coast from Bonita Beach north to Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay, and the state’s east coast from the St Lucie-Martin County line north to Ponte Vedra Beach. Storm surge threats were a major concern for the west coast of Florida. Apart from Hurricane warnings, storm surge warnings were in effect from Flamingo northward to Yankeetown, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. A storm surge warning was also issued for Florida’s east coast, from the Sebastian Inlet in Florida to Georgia’s Altamaha Sound, including the St Johns River. Various areas were under tropical storm watches and warnings, including some areas of Georgia and the Bahamas.
The National Weather Service stated, “If you are in the Storm Surge Warning area, this is an extremely life-threatening situation, and you should evacuate if ordered to do so by local officials.”
The hurricane center warned that storm surge in the Tampa Bay area could be between 8 to 12 feet above ground level. The prediction was a few feet lower than mentioned in earlier forecasts, which initially suggested Tampa could see surges up to 15 feet.
Damage 4rm Tornado offspring from Hurricane Milton in Palm Beach Gardens Florida just prior to landfall
The Hurricane made landfall in Siesta Key a short time later with up to 15Ft Storm Surges & Flooding#miltonhurricane #HurricaneMilton #HurricanMilton— Nine (@ninewontmiss) October 10, 2024
As of Wednesday afternoon, CBS News reported that a stretch of Florida’s west coast from Anna Maria Island down to Boca Grande, including Sarasota, was forecast to see peak surges between 9-13 feet.
The numbers mentioned in afternnoon were revised down a touch from earlier ones. However, Florida officials and forecasters stressed that even the lower estimates were extreme. In an advisory on Monday afternoon, the hurricane center said, “The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the south of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.”
Forecasts show heavy rainfall, which could cause “catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with moderate to major river flooding” in parts of the Florida peninsula through Thursday. While addressing a briefing on Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said they have warned people that “we’re going to have impacts far beyond wherever the eye of the storm is.” He said, “The impacts will be broader … specifically with respect to storm surge.”
It’s has been very busy over the last several hours here on the NWS Miami ops floor!
Thanks for all of the photos and videos, we truly appreciate it.
We are up to 4 visually confirmed tornadoes today with unofficial reports of additional damage. Please keep the reports coming! https://t.co/nLDNYmNnLc
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) October 9, 2024
On Wednesday, he said, “There will be fatalities.” DeSantis said, “I don’t think there’s any way around that when you have 10 feet of storm surge. There are going to be people who stay behind, and they’re going to be in distress.”
DeSantis said officials have set up 149 shelters in Florida that are open for people, with capacity to hold around 200,000 people.
People in Florida who were in the potential path of the hurricane lined properties with sandbags boarded up doors and windows, and moved their boats ahead of the storm’s arrival, CBS News reported.
