Hurricane Milton moved across central Florida on October 10 after making landfall on the state's west coast hours earlier. The storm caused deadly tornadoes, destroyed homes and caused nearly 2 million households and businesses to lose power.
The US National Hurricane Center said Milton made landfall in Florida at around 8:30 p.m. on October 9 as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h near Siesta Key.
By the morning of October 10, the storm's wind speeds had dropped to 150 km/h, which was still dangerous, sending Milton to Category 1. Due to the impact of Hurricane Milton, heavy rain and rising water are causing damage to Florida. The storm was identified as being about 75 km west-southwest of Cape Canaveral, where NASA's Space Station is located.
The hurricane center said a flash flood emergency is in effect for the Tampa Bay area, which includes Tampa City, St. Petersburg. Petersburg and Clearwater. St. Petersburg recorded up to 422 mm of rain on October 9.
The center of Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key - an island town of about 5,400 residents off the coast of Sarasota. Siesta Key is about 100 km south of Tampa Bay, home to more than 3 million people.
Forecasters say sea levels could rise as high as 4 meters in Tampa Bay.
Florida Governor DeSantis said Milton created at least 19 tornadoes that caused damage in many areas, destroying about 125 homes, mostly mobile homes.
NBC News quoted information from the St. Petersburg county police chief. Lucie Keith Pearson said at least two people have died in a pension community suspected of a tornado in Fort Pierce on the east coast of Florida. Mr. Pearson estimated that 100 houses were destroyed in this district due to about 17 tornadoes.
Hurricane Milton is expected to cross the Florida peninsula overnight and enter the Atlantic, maintaining the intensity of the hurricane.
When entering the Atlantic, Milton is likely to gradually lose tropical features and weaken, according to the latest hurricane forecast from the US National Hurricane Center.
Florida was devastated by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago. Before Milton made landfall, up to 2 million people in Florida had been ordered to evacuate and millions of others were living on the storm's projected path. Both storms are expected to cause billions of dollars in damage.
US President Joe Biden has been informed by emergency agencies about the initial impacts of Hurricane Milton, according to a statement from the White House.
