Photos show conditions deteriorating as Hurricane Milton hits Florida
Hurricane Milton is expected to wreak havoc on Florida, but high-speed winds, rainfall and even tornadoes were reported in the region even before the storm made landfall Wednesday night.
Resources, including fuel and supplies, waned as Floridians evacuated from The Sunshine State, leaving in the days and hours before its predicted landfall on Wednesday night. Others have prepared for Hurricane Milton by sheltering in place at local shelters, schools, or churches.
“Historic, catastrophic, life-threatening – all those words summarize the situation,” said Austen Flannery, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Tampa.
Live updates: Conditions worsening in Florida as Hurricane Milton landfall nears
Hurricane Milton's arrival and projected path of destruction comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated multiple regions across the Southeast, including Florida.
Florida residents were exhausted and defeated after Helene, with some telling USA TODAY that they were unsure if they would have a home to return to after the storm. Hurricane Milton, now a Category 4, will cut across Florida and make its way into the Atlantic Ocean by late Thursday.
Hurricane Milton made landfall at about 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday near Siesta Key, Florida, about 70 miles south of Tampa, as a Category 3 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Milton tracker
Photos illustrate Hurricane Milton's initial wave of destruction
Hurricane Milton is expected to cause widespread damage in Florida and will likely leave millions of people without power, water and other resources for an extended period of time. Toppled trees, downed power lines and homes have already been destroyed.