Florida: Hurricane Milton has made landfall in Florida on the evening of October 9, 2024, near Siesta Key, as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.
US National Hurricane Center reports read that, “Extremely dangerous category three Hurricane Milton makes landfall, warning of a life-threatening storm surge and flash flooding occurring over the central Florida Peninsula.”
Millions fled the state as dozens of tornadoes and storm surge warnings were put in place.
Weakened to Category 2
It has since weakened to a Category 2 storm, with winds of 105 mph as it moves inland across central Florida. The storm has caused widespread flooding, dangerous storm surges, and significant wind damage, particularly in areas like Tampa and St. Petersburg. Governor Ron DeSantis warned that the time for safe evacuation had passed.
National Weather Service said that, there is now a belt of flash flood warnings across the entire middle part of Florida like the Tampa Bay region and Orlando.
According to the NWS, a flash flood warning means a flash flood “is imminent or occurring” and people should “take action” to immediately move to higher ground.
10pm EDT #Hurricane #Milton Position Update:
A Flash Flood Emergency is in effect for the Tampa Bay Area as Milton continues to move inland.
A sustained wind of 86 mph & gust of 105 mph was recently reported at a WeatherFlow station at Egmont
Channel.… pic.twitter.com/N9K2Xr8SjE— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 10, 2024
Blackouts are increasing in Florida, over 1.1 million customers have lost electricity, according to monitoring site Poweroutage.us. It comes as nearly 70,000 customers are also without power in North Carolina, a state still reeling from Hurricane Helene.
President Joe Biden said that “In preparation for tonight’s landfall, I have approved emergency declaration requests from the State and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. We have thousands of federal personnel on the ground. And we have staged 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water. At my direction, Secretary of Defense Austin has pre-positioned search and rescue teams, helicopters, and high-water vehicles as close to the storm as possible so they are ready to conduct life-saving missions.”
The storm is moving
Currently, Hurricane Milton is located approximately 75 miles (120 km) south of Orlando, moving at a speed of 16 mph (26 km/h) and carrying winds of 105 mph (165 km/h). Though it was downgraded to a Category 2 storm about 90 minutes after making landfall, it remains highly dangerous.
Despite its reduced intensity, Milton is expected to maintain hurricane strength while crossing Florida, dissipating over the Atlantic in the coming days. According to the NHC, the storm’s speed and intensity will continue to pose a threat as it moves inland.
Earlier, President Joe Biden said it would be “one of the most destructive hurricanes in a century” and that people should “Listen to local authorities. Evacuate while it is still safe to do so. And if you cannot evacuate, find a shelter near you.”
Milton’s arrival comes two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the Gulf Coast as a category four storm, causing at least 225 fatalities across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina.
RELATED POST | Hurricane Milton to make landfall in Florida: Deadly flooding expected
