Hurricane Milton makes landfall on Florida coast, leaving 2m without power and record flooding: Live updates

Florida residents in the path of Hurricane Milton were instructed to hunker down as the massive storm hit the state.

The hurricane made landfall as a Category 3 storm early Wednesday night near Sarasota County’s Siesta Key, bringing destructive tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge across multiple areas.

The National Weather Service generated 111 tornado warnings as of 9.30pm UK time, breaking a 2017 record.

More than 2 million customers were without power across the Sunshine State, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.US .

While Milton’s intensity continues to fluctuate, weakening to a Category 2 hurricane , the National Hurricane Center predicts it will be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida”.

Joe Biden urged Floridians to heed local officials and brace for “the storm of the century”.

Vice President Kamala Harris warned that even the toughest Floridians won’t weather the “historic” hurricane, she said on The Late Show on Tuesday night.

Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche told CNN on Wednesday that officers will stay on the streets until Milton’s winds top 45mph.

“If people need help, we’re not going to be able to come to them,” he said.