Hurricane Milton Makes Landfall In FL As A Category 3 Storm

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Hurricane Milton: 6 Dead; 3.4M Powerless In FL; Search And Rescues Underway

FLORIDA — When Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday evening, it was still holding at a Category 3 hurricane, bringing sustained winds of 120 mph and the potential for widespread destruction.

By 5 a.m. Thursday, more than 3.1 million Floridians were left without power, countless structures were destroyed and at least four deaths had been reported.

• SEE ALSO: 18 Photos Show Milton's Devastation Across Florida

Search and rescue efforts were underway in Florida after dangerous tornadoes tore through the region, destroying about 125 homes before the hurricane made landfall. The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard. Some residents were killed.

"We have lost some life," St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News, though he wouldn’t say how many people were killed.

As Milton barreled toward Florida earlier on Wednesday, residents were urged to take shelter as officials urged that it was too late to evacuate.

The Tampa region is home to more than 3.3 million people alone.

The storm officially hit near Siesta Key in Sarasota County along the west coast of the state at 8:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The situation in the Tampa area was a major emergency as St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding there as well as other parts of western and central Florida.

Some 90 minutes after making landfall, the storm had weakened to a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph — but officials warned that the storm was no less dangerous.

A rare flash flood emergency — the highest of warning levels — remained in effect for Tampa, Saint and Clearwater until 2:30 a.m. as between 10 and 14 inches of rain had fallen, the National Weather Service said just after 9:30 p.m.

"This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW! Life-threatening flash flooding of low water crossings, small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses," NWS forecasters said.

"A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY is now in effect for the areas in dark red. Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Clearwater, St Pete, Ruskin, Apollo Beach. 10-16" of rain has fallen," said Meteorologist Denis Phillips on Facebook just after 9:30 p.m. "We could see another 6" in these spots. This could lead to catastrophic flooding..."

These will be a common sight in the wake of #Milton. NEVER drive around barricades into floodwaters. More than 50% of all flood fatalities are vehicle-related. It takes only 12 inches of fast-moving water to carry off a small car and 18 inches of water to sweep a larger vehicle… pic.twitter.com/5UUB7l19JK
— National Weather Service (@NWS) October 10, 2024

St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson posted a video to Facebook showing a 10,000-square-foot iron building that had been twisted into a crumpled heap by a tornado. The structure was where the sheriff’s office kept its patrol cars, but luckily no one was inside when it fell, Pearson said.

In St. Petersburg, NWS officials said it received reports of multiple collapsed cranes due to high winds. Local fire officials confirmed one collapsed late Wednesday about six blocks from the city's pier. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The crane was at the site of a 515-foot-tall luxury high-rise building under construction that is being billed as one of the tallest buildings on the west coast of Florida. It was scheduled to be completed in summer 2025.

As of early Thursday, St. Petersburg residents also could no longer get water from their household taps because a water main break led the city to shut down service.

Residents of the Sunshine State were advised to treat extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching, the National Weather Service said.

"You do not want to try and survive a 15-20 foot storm surge. It’s not survivable," Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert warned, according to Accuweather.

The entire Tampa area was placed under an "extreme wind warning” earlier but Philips said around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday that that warning had expired with winds 70 to 95 mph still possible as the storm moves inland.

"As the eye of Milton moves over land, winds may briefly calm down, but people should not let their guard down as winds will pick back up after the eye departs," Accuweather meteorologists reported around 7 p.m.

Warnings Before Landfall

Millions were ordered to evacuate in multiple counties along the coast ahead of the storm as officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving. The mass exodus snarled traffic along the state’s main highways, including Interstate 75 and Interstate 4.

In a statement published online Wednesday afternoon, the Pasco County Public Information Office said if residents hadn’t evacuated yet, it was “time to ride out the storm where you are.”

In a follow-up video message, Pasco Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Guynn said there would be a window of several hours during the storm when emergency workers would not be able to respond to calls in person. He instructed residents in need of assistance to call 911 and be as descriptive as possible. First responders will then assist when they can, he said.

On Wednesday afternoon, the system had weakened to a strong Category 3 storm before it quickly bounced back. Tornado and storm surge warnings were in effect for much of the state, according to the National Hurricane Center.

"The strongest winds will begin moving into Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties over the next 3 hours as the eye makes landfall," meteorologist Phillips posted on Facebook around 6:30 p.m.

At 5 p.m., the National Hurricane Center said "life-threatening" storm surge and hurricane-force winds were expected to hit West Florida's Peninsula on Wednesday evening.

According to analysts at GasBuddy, more than 20 percent of gas stations in Florida were without fuel Wednesday afternoon, including more than 60 percent in Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said state troopers had escorted tanker trucks carrying almost 1 million gallons of gas to stations by late Wednesday afternoon and that the state had 1.6 million gallons of diesel and 1.1 million gallons of gas on hand.

“There is no, right now, fuel shortage,” he said of the state as a whole. “However, demand has been extraordinarily high and some gas stations have run out.”

The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday had also prepositioned personnel, aircraft and boats in advance of the storm to assist with urgent search and rescue and to assess and expedite the reopening of seaports.

Coast Guard officials said they had 27 aircraft, including 17 on immediate standby and 10 Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft. There are also 30 cutters and three floodwater response teams, with 16 crews and 19 boats stationed at Camp Blanding in northeast Florida.

Milton was expected to remain a hurricane while it crosses the Florida peninsula, forecasters said previously.

Destructive and life-threatening storm surge of 10 feet or more is expected in the hardest-hit areas, including parts of Tampa Bay, the National Hurricane Center said. Devastating hurricane-force winds were also expected to impact parts of the west coast, the agency said.

The system could also bring heavy rainfall across much of the Florida peninsula through Thursday, bringing a risk of flash, urban and river flooding.

Patch editor Tiffany Razzano, Megan VerHelst and The Associated Press contributed to this report.