RECAP: Hurricane Milton makes landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, first death confirmed
Hurricane Milton, one of the largest storm systems ever recorded in the US has made landfall on the west coast of Florida.
The “once in a century” storm, has been downgraded from Category Five to Category Three, however, authorities have warned Hurricane Milton has grown bigger in size and now threatens more areas of the Florida coastline.
At its peak, Milton had sustained winds of 250km/h.
The latest update from US officials says sustained wind speed has slowed to 193 km/h, with the risk to life remaining high, especially for the expected 15ft (4.5m) storm surge.
Follow below for the latest on Hurricane Milton.
Wild pictures from Hurricane Milton
Some astonishing pictures have come out of Florida demonstrating the destruction the recent hurricane has caused.
Hurricane Milton has flooded Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Thanks for joining us. We will be back with updates tomorrow.
Eye of Hurricane Milton exiting Florida’s east coast
The eye of Hurricane Milton is exiting Florida’s east coast and leaving behind flash flooding in its wake.
According to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam, the eye travelled overnight from the Tampa Bay area towards Orlando and Cape Canaveral.
High winds, flooding, rain and a storm surge will continue to cause damage.
Conditions are expected to improve in the second half of Thursday.
Three million people without power
Hurricane Milton has knocked out power across a large section of Florida.
Over three million homes and businesses have lost power as of early Thursday morning.
Outages are expected to continue as the hurricane moves towards Florida’s east coast.
Hillsborough County announce recovery efforts underway
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has announced recovery efforts are underway.
In an announcement to Facebook, they wrote: “Post-storm recovery efforts have begun in some parts of our county.”
“Please stay home, as we have received reports of downed trees and flooded streets. Your safety is our priority!”
Hurricane spawns ‘out of the ordinary’ tornadoes
Hurricane Milton spawned deadly tornadoes before hitting Florida, and while scientists say their appearance wasn’t unusual, their ferocity certainly was.
By Wednesday evening, more than 130 tornado warnings associated with Milton had been issued by National Weather Services offices in Florida.
The appearance of tornadoes before and during hurricanes is not unusual, scientists say, but the twisters’ ferocity was.
“It’s definitely out of the ordinary,” said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini.
One of these tornados severely damaged the St Lucie County Sheriff’s office.
With AP.
Flooding and hurricane destruction
Fort Myers is witnessing flood waters slowly rising in the streets.
A video posted to X shows flooding covering stairs and mailboxes.
According to NWS Melbourne, the Daytona Beach Weather Radio Transmitter is off the air.
Where Hurricane Milton is now
Hurricane Milton is causing destruction across Florida.
A tower crane collapsed in downtown St. Petersburg, and the city will shut off its drinking water supply at midnight.
The cut-off is due to a significant water line break and will remain off until necessary repairs are made.
Hurricane-force winds have also reached the state’s east coast.
New York Times photographers capture key moments
There are also some amazing news photographs in this story from the New York Times.
Incredible images
We’re seeing some astonishing photographs coming out of Florida as Hurricane Milton makes its way across the peninsula. One image shows a person walking past a house with a car embedded in its front wall.
‘It’s getting worse’
Journalist Minreet Kaur is in Orlando Florida and says wind and rain are “getting worse”.
I’ve never experienced anything like this,” she wrote.
“I’m scared just hearing the wind and rain.
“The lightning is like another level.”
