By 8.30pm EDT (Thursday, 8.30am, Singapore time), Milton made landfall close to Siesta Key, Florida, itself about 100km from south Tampa.
The hurricane centre labelled the storm “extraordinarily harmful”.
“On the forecast observe, the middle of Milton will make landfall simply south of the Tampa Bay area inside the subsequent hour or two, after which transfer throughout the central a part of the Florida peninsula in a single day, and emerge off the east coast of Florida on Thursday,” the hurricane centre stated.
As soon as previous Florida, it ought to weaken over the western Atlantic, presumably dropping beneath hurricane energy on Thursday evening, however will nonetheless pose storm-surge hazard on the state’s Atlantic coast as properly.
Tropical drive winds had been engulfing a lot of the state.
Whereas Milton barely weakened on Wednesday afternoon to a Class 3 hurricane, the third-highest stage, it was rising in measurement because it approached Florida and remained extraordinarily harmful with most sustained winds of 195kmh, the hurricane centre stated.
The storm may deliver a surge of seawater as excessive as 2.7m to 4m in some areas and dump 150mm to 300 mm of rain, with as a lot as 450 mm attainable in spots.
The Nationwide Climate Service confirmed at the least 16 tornadoes in Florida on Wednesday, and extra had been anticipated into the early hours of Thursday.
At sea, the hurricane created waves shut to eight.5m excessive, the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated.
The 4 bridges spanning Tampa Bay had been closed earlier than the storm was attributable to make landfall, in line with the Florida 511 web site. Practically everybody who determined to flee appeared to have accomplished so, as most streets in close by St. Petersburg had been practically abandoned by noon on Wednesday.
Most causeways connecting the Gulf barrier islands to the mainland had been additionally shut, stranding any who determined to experience out the storm regardless of pleas from officers.
