‘Major’ Hurricane Milton Makes Landfall Over Florida

Hurricane Milton made landfall over the central west coast of Florida on Wednesday evening, bringing with it powerful winds, torrential rain, and storm surge to a state that endured another strong hurricane less than two weeks ago.

The National Hurricane Center announced that doppler radar data indicated the storm’s eye made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane near Siesta Key in Sarasota County — located between Tampa Bay and Fort Myers — at 8:30 p.m. ET.

830pm EDT Oct 9th: Doppler radar data indicates that the eye of #Hurricane #Milton has made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County on the west coast of Florida.

Max sustained winds at landfall are estimated at 120 mph.

Landfall TCU: https://t.co/YUc7mT6LuJ pic.twitter.com/fEODy4AvHJ

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 10, 2024

The hurricane‘s outer bands already wreaked havoc across Florida earlier in the day with tornadoes, flooding, and power outages. Residents in Florida and nearby states can expect the effects of the storm to last overnight and into Thursday.

Violent tornado sent to me by my friend Jason Dolliver shot in Fort pierce near the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds. Video shot by Kayla Pollack. An absolutely horrible day for tornadoes. pic.twitter.com/COp8lZfJw6

— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) October 9, 2024

Evacuation orders had been issued to millions of people across several Florida counties, and shelters were opened in areas bracing for the brunt of the hurricane. Storm surge up to 12 or 13 feet in some coastal areas could be particularly deadly.

Storm surge spills onto the bridge to Sanibel Island in Fort Myers, Florida, as Hurricane Milton starts to make landfall. pic.twitter.com/Y9OSvzjXKr

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 9, 2024

After landfall, Hurricane Milton is expected to quickly move across the Florida Peninsula on Thursday and head out over the Atlantic Ocean away from the United States, giving room for any rescue and relief efforts to get underway.

Florida got slammed by Milton less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm. Crews were still picking up debris from Helene on Wednesday, prompting warnings about detritus flying around when Milton hit.

Milton made landfall as a “major” hurricane, but it was higher up the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale at Category 5 at times earlier in the week as it swept across the Gulf of Mexico and grazed Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Inside Hurricane Milton, @saildrone reported wave height of 28.12 feet and wind gusts as strong as 75.95 mph while 40 nautical miles from the center of the storm. This research represents a collaborative endeavor to better understand the role of the ocean in hurricanes. pic.twitter.com/gmaUopPEWj

— NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab (@NOAA_AOML) October 9, 2024

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency, suspended tolls to assist with evacuations, communicated with the public about what they should do to be ready for the storm, and made other preparations.

As Hurricane Milton makes landfall near Sarasota county, now is the time to shelter in place. First responders are staged and ready to go, as soon as weather conditions allow. Search and rescue efforts will be well underway to save lives before dawn, and they will continue for as…

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 10, 2024

President Joe Biden, who approved an emergency declaration to unlock federal assistance for hurricane response efforts in Florida, has been in communication with DeSantis and said he told the governor he was “doing a great job.”

Stunning images of Hurricane Milton have been shared online over the past few days, including from NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, who is on the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Endeavor docked to the International Space Station.

Timelapse flying by Hurricane Milton today about 2 hours ago. Storm looks bigger but less symmetric than yesterday.

1/2000 sec, f8, 14mm, ISO 500, 0.5 sec interval, 30fps pic.twitter.com/XUjQEJPOGg

— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 9, 2024

The Waffle House Index, which is used to signal an imminent disaster, helped keep residents alert. In a post to X, Waffle House said it was closing restaurant locations around Tampa, Fort Myers, Orlando, Ocala, and Daytona in the afternoon on Wednesday.