Key events
Nearly 100 tornado warnings issued ahead of Hurricane Milton landfall
The National Weather Service issued at least 98 tornado warnings in the state of Florida between noon and 6pm ET Wednesday as Hurrican Milton prepared to make landfall on the state’s western coast. The service reported sightings of at least 20 tornados, the Washington Post reports.
Meanwhile, major flooding is underway across the state, including in Naples and Fort Myers, where the storm surge has pushed water levels above 3 feet
As Hurricane Milton begins making landfall, storm chaser and meteorologist Reed Timmer, who has been tracking the storm, has shared footage from just south of Tampa. Wind gusts above hurricane-force (74mph or higher) have been reported along the coast, including a 90 mph wind gust at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, according to CNN.
More than 311,000 clients in Florida are without power as Hurricane Milton starts to make landfall near Tampa, according to Poweroutage.us. The site tracks a total of 11.5m users in the state. The majority experiencing outages are located along the state’s Gulf Coast.
Florida prepares for Hurricane Milton to make landfall as state pummeled by winds
Florida is bracing for imminent landfall of Hurricane Milton, with winds along the west coast of the state continuing to increase as the center of the storm bears down on Sarasota.
A sustained wind of 58mph and a gust of 77mph were reported near Tampa Bay, according to the National Hurricane Center.
CNN reported that storm surge is ramping up in south-west Florida: Naples is under nearly 3ft of water. Fort Myers saw nearly 2ft of inundation over normally dry ground by 5pm ET.
