Hurricane Milton makes landfall, slamming into Florida

More than 3 million people in Florida are without power Thursday morning after Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key last night as a Category 3 storm with winds of 120 mph, devastating the state’s west coast.

Milton, which is a Category 1 storm at the time of this report, is tearing across eastern Florida with damaging winds, flooding rains and a developing storm surge threat on its Atlantic coast.

More than 10 inches of rain has fallen so far in some parts of Florida and an additional 8 to 12 inches of rain is possible in many areas as a result of Hurricane Milton. In St. Petersburg, where the roof was torn off the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field, 18 inches of rain was recorded over a 24-hour span, according to Fox Weather.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson also confirmed to Fox Weather that there have been 17 tornadoes along with several fatalities in his county, with “a rescue mission ongoing, and hundreds of homes destroyed.”

ROOF OF TROPICANA FIELD RIPPED OPEN BY HURRICANE MILTON

Brandon Marlow walks through surge waters flooding the streets of Fort Myers after Hurricane Milton came ashore on Wednesday night. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Storm surge flooding is now underway with major impacts from Naples to Sarasota on Florida’s western coast. Some areas have seen up to 10 feet of water surging in from the Gulf and up to 5 feet of storm surge is expected from Jacksonville to Cape Canaveral.

Milton is expected to move into the Atlantic Ocean at mid-morning and get carried off into the open waters of the ocean throughout the day.

As of 4 a.m. ET Thursday, the storm was currently located about 10 miles northwest of Cape Canaveral, with maximum sustained wind gusts of 85 mph.

Debris is strewn on a street following the collapse of a crane during heavy rainfall and strong winds caused by Hurricane Milton, in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Mike’s Weather Page/Reuters)

The website Poweroutage.us is reporting that more than 3 million people are without power across Florida, leaving nearly the entirety of the Tampa Bay area in the dark.

Milton’s catastrophic landfall came barely two weeks after Hurricane Helene, which battered Florida before causing devastation in North Carolina. Florida residents have spent the interim boarding up windows and evacuating their homes in preparation for Milton.

“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday in advance of the storm’s landfall.

HURRICANE MILTON SPAWNS DEADLY TORNADO OUTBREAK IN SOUTH FLORIDA

An apparent tornado caused by Hurricane Milton, tore the awning off a 7-Eleven store on Wednesday in Cape Coral, Fla. (AP/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that his state was bracing for a “major hit” from Milton and that nearly 10,000 National Guardsmen are ready to assist in rescue efforts. 

“We have 500 tactical vehicles, including 180 high water vehicles, aerial water and ground National Guard search and rescue teams. This is the largest Florida National Guard search and rescue mobilization in the entire history of the state of Florida,” he said. 

President Biden also declared Florida a disaster area ahead of Milton’s landfall to facilitate FEMA’s preparations and response.

Officials in Orlando, Florida, announced during the storm that police and firefighters had been pulled from the roads to shelter in place due to winds of more than 40 mph. When the wind speeds decrease, the city said, emergency services will be able to respond to calls for service.

Public Safety Information Manager for Florida’s Incident Support Team, James Lucas, had warned that weather conditions will prevent rescuers from saving lives as Hurricane Milton wallops the state.

Broken utility poles downed by strong wind gusts are seen as Hurricane Milton approached Fort Myers on Wednesday. (Reuters/Ricardo Arduengo)

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“Weather conditions will deteriorate so rapidly that rescue workers cannot get in,” Lucas told Fox News Digital. “That means that law enforcement officers are not going to be able to respond to any emergencies … as the storm is pushing through at 100 mph.”