Hurricane Milton moved away from Florida early Thursday as a Category 1 downgraded hurricane – prompting people to wake up to survey the damage, as 3 million people remained without power and at least two people died in the tornado.
Milton was centered on the state’s Atlantic coast Thursday morning about 10 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral, with maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph — a far cry from the 120 mph gusts that have pummeled Florida’s Gulf Coast. When the then Category 3 hurricane struck. Siesta Key, a barrier island town off Sarasota, Wednesday night around 8:30 p.m.
The storm brought chaos and destruction to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast, with wind gusts of more than 100 mph and 13-foot storm surges that inundated some communities, causing damage to more than 3 million homes and Businesses are without power. According to PowerOutages.us,
The devastating storm blew roofs off buildings including Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, and resulted in nearly a dozen destructive tornadoes, killing at least two people at a retirement community in Fort Pierce, officials said.
However, thankfully, officials in hard-hit Sarasota and Tampa Bay said the storm’s impact was not as bad as they feared.
“We will suffer losses due to the storm but nothing like this could have happened. This could have been devastating for Tampa Bay,” Mayor Jane Castor said Thursday.
Similarly, Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert told MSNBC that the storm’s impact was not as bad on the mainland as expected, but officials still had to assess the barrier islands.
Alpert said that although there were many power outages, there were no emergency calls from residents.
“This is really unusual. No one called for rescue. So I believe they may have evacuated,” she said.
The National Hurricane Center said in an update that Milton maintained hurricane status as it crossed the Florida Peninsula overnight, and was moving northeast at about 18 mph while moving away from Florida. .
“As a storm #milton Offshore movement continues, remain alert. Dangerous tropical storm force winds, flooding and storm surge are impacting the East Coast and Central FL throughout the morning. Avoid flooded areas at all costs and continue to follow all weather alerts,” the state’s Division of Emergency Management Warned on X.
Heavy rain and high wind gusts continued across parts of the state, especially in eastern areas where gusts as high as 92 mph were reported along the Atlantic coast. Fox Weather reported.
Flash flood warnings are also in effect for heavy rainfall in parts of Central Florida, but Floridians can expect easing conditions throughout the day as Milton moves seaward.
The storm also brought heavy rain and storm surge, causing dangerous flooding in some coastal areas.
More than five inches of rain was recorded in St. Petersburg, Florida, along with wind gusts of up to 90 mph in that hour. Meanwhile, parts of downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg were flooded after more than 17 inches of rain fell.
Water levels near landfall near Sarasota reached more than 8 feet Wednesday evening, while storm surges of 3 to 6 feet were reported from Naples to Charlotte Harbor.
Instead of the anticipated 15-foot storm surge, the water level in Tampa dropped about 5 feet due to strong winds. Meanwhile, a storm surge of about 6 feet occurred in Naples.
Nevertheless, powerful winds battered both Tampa and St. Petersburg, even tearing off Tropicana Field’s fabric roof. The state Department of Emergency Management had planned to set up a staging area at the stadium for emergency crews responding to Milton.
A flash flood emergency remained in effect for the Tampa Bay area Thursday morning, including the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, the hurricane center said.
With post wires.
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