Hurricane Milton Swamps Florida, Leaves 3 Million Without Power 

Hurricane Milton moved off Florida's east coast early this AM, downgraded to a Cat. 1 storm. Milton made landfall around 2030 ET on Wednseday near Siesta Key, Florida, a barrier island next to Sarasota. The storm's destructive winds and torrential rains sparked widespread power outages to over 3 million customers in the state. 

As of 0500 ET, the National Hurricane Center said Milton's eye was about ten miles northeast of Cape Canaveral and traversing into the Atlantic with maximum sustained winds above 85 mph, making it still a dangerous Cat. 1. 

Powerful winds were recorded in Tampa, with some areas recording over 100 mph during the overnight hours after the landfall event.

As Milton raced across the central part of Florida, hurricane-force wind and flash floods sparked more than 3.25 million power outages, according to the latest data from power tracking website Poweroutage.US. 

"We have an unprecedented number of our customers who are without power," Tampa Electric President and CEO Archie Collins told CNN's Kasie Hunt earlier this AM.

Collins said as daylight emerges, survey crews will better understand the nature of the damage to the grid. 

"The eyewall did travel right across Hillsborough County, and that is a game changer," he said, adding, "These were the strongest winds that we believe have been experienced in Hillsborough County in as long as anyone can remember. The damage out there I think is going to be significantly more than our customers have experienced in their lifetimes."

Storm damage footage was uploaded on X: 

Forecast models show Milton's next path. 

Tropics are active. 

Fox Weather pointed out, "Milton's intensity made it the fifth-strongest cyclone on record in the Atlantic Basin, only falling short of records held by Wilma (2005), Gilbert (1988) Labor Day (1935) and Rita (2005)." 

Legend. 

The double impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in just several weeks has proven devastating for some Floridians.