More than 3 million homes and businesses are without power and at least four people are dead after Hurricane Milton made landfall late Wednesday.
The storm hit Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane but it weakened to a Category 1 as it made its way eastward across the state.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Thursday that the full extent of the damage from Hurricane Milton still isn’t clear, but that his state seems to have avoided the worst-case scenario.
“He told reporters that the worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota County, where it was 8 to 10 feet (2.5 to 3 meters) — less than in the worst place during Helene,” The Associated Press reported.
Here are key takeaways from reports on Hurricane Milton:
- Four deaths from Hurricane Milton occurred before the storm made landfall. The deaths were caused by tornadoes that popped up while Milton was still in the Gulf of Mexico, according to The Washington Post.
- As the hurricane hit Florida around 8:30 p.m. local time Wednesday night, it brought maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, The Associated Press reported.
- The powerful winds shredded the roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, per The Washington Post. The stadium is the home of the Tampa Bay Rays and was being used this month to house emergency workers.
- Hurricane Milton entered Florida slightly south of where it had been projected to hit, sparing Tampa from the worst of its wrath.
- Flooding will remain a threat even after Hurricane Milton exits Florida. In addition to causing a storm surge, Milton dumped at least 18 inches of rain on the state, according to The Associated Press.
As of 7 a.m. MDT on Thursday, Milton was in the process of pulling away from Florida, per USA Today.