Hurricane Milton downgraded to Cat. 2 after making landfall near Sarasota

Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Hurricane Milton continued to weaken early Thursday after making landfall near Sarasota along Florida's western coast Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm, according to forecasters.

In its 12 a.m. EDT update, the National Hurricane Center said Milton had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph with higher gusts, making it a Category 2 storm.

The forecasters located Milton about 60 miles south-southwest of Orlando, Fla., and 85 miles west-southwest of Cape Canaveral.

Milton was weakening as it moved inland after making landfall near Siesta in Sarasota County at about 8:30 p.m. as a Category 3 storm with winds of 120 mph.

Despite its weakening, the NHC is warning that Milton will maintain hurricane intensity while crossing Florida overnight. It was moving east-northeast at 16 mph.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Florida's west coast from Bonita Beach northward to Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay, and Florida's east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin county line up northward to Ponte Vedra Beach.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for north of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., to Edisto Beach, S.C.; the Florida Keys, including the Dry Tortugas, Florida Bay and Lake Okeechobee; and Florida's east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin county line to Flamingo.

Florida's west coast from Flamingo to south of Bonita Beach and from north of the Suwanee River to Indian Pass also are subject to tropical storm warnings. So are the extreme northwester Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos and Bimini.

A storm surge warning is in effect for the west coast of Florida from Flamingo northward to Yankeetown, Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay; and Florida's Sebastian Inlet to Altamaha Sound in Georgia, including the St. Johns River.

The NOAA also issued a hurricane watch for Lake Okeechobee and Florida's east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin county line to the Palm Beach/Martin county line.

Earlier Wednesday, Hurricane Milton weakened to a Category 4 storm, according to forecasters who said they expected the storm to continue growing before making landfall along Florida's west-central coast and generally following the Interstate 4 corridor across the peninsula.

On Monday, Milton's wind speeds had increased by 90 mph in less than 24 hours, reaching 180 mph. It's being called the third-fastest rapidly intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic, according to more than 40 years of National Hurricane Center data.

Central atmospheric pressure in Milton's eye had also fallen to 897 millibars (or 26.49 inches of mercury), according to Hurricane Hunter aircraft observations, which makes it the fifth lowest central pressure in the Atlantic basin hurricane in recorded history.

"This makes Milton one of the strongest hurricanes on record in the Atlantic Basin and the second strongest in the Gulf only behind Hurricane Rita in 2005 (895mb)," meteorologist Dylan Federico of Dallas' KDFW-TV wrote in a Facebook post.

The forecasters are warning that Milton is expected to "grow considerably in size" by the time it reaches Florida.

"Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," the NHC said in a discussion on the storm late Tuesday.

The storm is located in the Gulf of Mexico northeast of the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Forecasters are predicting that Milton's center will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico Wednesday, and then make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida either late Wednesday or early Thursday.

After landfall, it will travel off the east coast of Florida into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, the forecasters said.

Forecasters said the storm's intensity will fluctuate but it is expected to remain extremely dangerous when it passes over the Florida Peninsula.

The NHC said in a discussion that while it may experience some weakening, "it will likely not be enough to keep Milton from being an extremely dangerous hurricane when it reaches shore."

Florida's coastal residents are being warned to expect a large, destructive storm surge, devastating hurricane-force and heavy rainfall.

Forecasters predicted Tampa Bay could see a surge of between 10 and 15 feet.

Portions of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys are to receive between 6 and 12 inches of rain, with some areas to receive up to 18 inches, through Thursday, raising the risk of "catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with moderate to major river flooding," the NHC said.

Milton is bearing down on Florida's west coast, which has already been hit by two hurricanes this season.

Hurricane Helene hit the coast near Perry in the Big Bend Region on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm.

Hurricane Debby struck nearby Steinhatchee as a Category 1 storm on Aug. 5.

Milton, the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, is one of three churning in the Atlantic, but is the only one posing a threat to land. The other two are: Kirk, a Category 3 storm; and Leslie, which became a hurricane late Friday.