Milton slammed into Florida’s already storm-blasted west coast Wednesday
evening as a Category 3 hurricane threatening huge swaths of Tampa Bay, Sarasota and regions still reeling from the destruction of Helene.
President Joe Biden referred to Hurricane Milton as
“the storm of the century” and warned residents to heed evacuation orders. Tropical-storm-force winds, flooding rains, and tornadoes were spreading inland as the fierce hurricane made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County.
Numerous news outlets and Tampa residents also posted video of the roof of Tropicana Field being ripped to shreds by Milton’s winds. The domed stadium is home to Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays and has recently been used as a base camp. to support the Florida Department of Emergency Management ahead of the hurricane.
Milton is forecast to maintain hurricane intensity as it crosses Florida overnight, the hurricane center said. By 5 a.m. ET Thursday, Milton’s winds weakened to 85 mph – making it a Category 1 storm- as it was 10 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
About 125 homes had already been destroyed by Hurricane Milton by Wednesday evening, according to Florida officials. More than 3 million homes and businesses were in the dark by early Thursday.
The latest hurricane strike comes on the heels of Helene, which left a trail of devastated communities across six states. Helene, which first hit Florida as a category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26, killed over 200 people and is estimated to have caused between $10.5 and $17.5 billion of insured losses alone.
Milton brings fear of more widespread damage, with tropical storm-force winds extending out to 255 miles, according to the hurricane center. Millions of storm-weary Floridians had been ordered or urged to flee earlier in the day, particularly in the Tampa area, which was initially projected to be in the bullseye of the storm.
Tampa, with a metropolitan area that is home to over 3 million people, has not had a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than 100 years. Storm surge from Milton could drive water levels up to 12 feet above ground, the hurricane center said.
Milton is the third hurricane to make landfall in Florida this year. That puts 2024 in a tie with five previous years for the most Florida landfalls in a single season, said Phil Klotzbach, a senior research scientist at Colorado State University. The other years were 1871, 1886, 1964, 2004 and 2005.
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