Topline
Nearly 2 million homes and businesses lost power on Wednesday night after Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The storm triggered multiple tornadoes and flash flooding, with forecasters warning it could become “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record” for Florida’s west-central region. Millions of residents were urged to evacuate.
Key Facts
- 11:45 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9: A tornado outbreak in Florida’s St. Lucie County and the East Coast resulted in multiple fatalities, according to the local sheriff’s office.
- 11:15 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9: PowerOutage.US reported that around 1.9 million customers across Florida were without power as Hurricane Milton triggered several tornadoes on Wednesday night.
- 8:30 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9: Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County as a Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds of 120 mph.
- 7 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9: The northern eyewall of Milton moved into the Tampa Bay area, prompting forecasters to urge residents to “shelter in place.”
- 6:36 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9: The National Weather Service issued an extreme wind warning for Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee counties as the eyewall of Hurricane Milton brought extreme winds ashore. Residents were advised to treat the situation as though a tornado was approaching and move to the safest part of their shelter.
- 6 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9: Hurricane-force wind gusts of 77 mph were recorded at a WeatherFlow station near the mouth of Tampa Bay, approximately 15 minutes from St. Petersburg.
- 4 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9: The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that tropical-storm-force winds and heavy rain had reached Florida’s western coast, urging anyone in tornado watch areas to prepare to seek shelter immediately.
- 11:30 a.m. EDT, Oct. 9: Tampa’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge was closed to all traffic as wind speeds intensified.
- 11:12 a.m. EDT, Oct. 9: Waffle House closed dozens of locations across Tampa, Fort Myers, and Orlando, marking Milton as a “red” alert on the federally recognized “Waffle House Index.”
A hurricane warning remains in effect for Florida’s west coast from Bonita Beach to the Suwannee River, for the East Coast from St. Lucie/Martin County Line to Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville, and inland areas including Orlando.
Storm surge warnings have been issued from Flamingo to Yankeetown on Florida’s west coast, including Tampa Bay, and from Sebastian Inlet to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, on the Atlantic Coast.
Hurricane Milton is expected to bring 6 to 12 inches of rain, with isolated areas receiving up to 18 inches. This could result in “life-threatening flash, urban, and areal flooding,” according to the NHC.
