Hurricane Milton hits Florida with damaging winds, flooding and power outages | Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Milton left millions in Florida without power on Thursday after wreaking havoc across the state with tornadoes, flooding, and intense winds, also causing several fatalities. The powerful storm made landfall Wednesday evening as a Category 3 hurricane near Siesta Key, located on the west coast of Florida, just south of Tampa Bay. It then traveled in a northeast direction toward Cape Canaveral, with maximum sustained winds recorded at 85 miles per hour, before heading out into the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm's impact was severe, with over 3 million Floridians left in the dark as widespread power outages were reported, according to PowerOutage.us. In addition to power losses, Hurricane Milton triggered multiple tornadoes before its landfall. The National Weather Service confirmed five of the seven reported tornadoes, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noting that 19 tornado touchdowns had been verified during the storm.

Tragically, at least two people lost their lives in St. Lucie County due to a tornado that struck the Spanish Lakes Country Club in Fort Pierce around 4:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to the local sheriff’s office. The hurricane's fierce winds, heavy rains, and tornado activity have caused extensive damage across the state, and recovery efforts are now underway as Florida begins to assess the full scale of the destruction left in Milton's wake.

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