A vehicle is stranded on a water-flooded street after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Brandon, Florida on October 9, 2024. Milton made landfall in Florida October 9, 2024 as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 hurricane, packing life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. “Data indicate the eye of Hurricane Milton has made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County along the west coast of Florida,” the NHC said in an 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Thursday) bulletin. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 09: A woman walks through downtown as Hurricane Milton makes landfall on October 09, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. Milton, coming on the heels of the destructive Helene, hit as a category 3 storm with winds of over 100 mph, though avoiding the projected direct hit on Tampa. Instead, the storm, which earlier had reportedly spawned tornadoes, landed about 70 miles south of Tampa near Siesta Key, a strip of white-sand beaches that’s home to 5,500 people, according to published reports. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 09: A person walks through surge waters after Hurricane Milton made landfall in the Sarasota area on October 09, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida. Milton, coming on the heels of the destructive Helene, hit as a category 3 storm with winds of over 100 mph, though veering south of the projected direct hit on Tampa. Instead, the storm, which earlier had reportedly spawned tornadoes, landed about 70 miles south of Tampa near Siesta Key, a strip of white-sand beaches that’s home to 5,500 people, according to published reports.. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Palm trees bend in the wind after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Brandon, Florida on October 9, 2024. Milton made landfall in Florida October 9, 2024 as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 hurricane, packing life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. “Data indicate the eye of Hurricane Milton has made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County along the west coast of Florida,” the NHC said in an 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Thursday) bulletin. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)
Alex Martinez, of Tampa, Fla., looks out the window of the hotel he’s taking shelter in while riding out Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Heavy rains and powerful winds during Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Florida, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s west coast near Tampa with tree-snapping winds, pushing a wall of water onshore and putting lives at risk in the densely populated region. Photographer: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images
People take photos and videos as they walk through streets inundated by floodwaters after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Fort Myers, Florida, on October 9, 2024. Milton made landfall in Florida October 9, 2024 as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 hurricane, packing life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. “Data indicate the eye of Hurricane Milton has made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County along the west coast of Florida,” the NHC said in an 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Thursday) bulletin. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 09: A woman in a wheelchair makes her way along a downtown sidewalk as Hurricane Milton makes landfall on October 09, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. Milton, coming on the heels of the destructive Helene, hit as a category 3 storm with winds of over 100 mph, though avoiding the projected direct hit on Tampa. Instead, the storm, which earlier had reportedly spawned tornadoes, landed about 70 miles south of Tampa near Siesta Key, a strip of white-sand beaches that’s home to 5,500 people, according to published reports. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Davis Jones, an insurance adjuster from Biloxi, Miss., looks out the door of the hotel where he is riding out Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Amy Sapanara, right, of Pinellas, Fla., reacts as a group of tow truck drivers from Northeast Georgia greet her dogs, Frankie and Dudley, outside the hotel where they are all taking shelter during Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A homeless person sleeps under a wheelchair alongside a parking garage in deserted downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Off-duty staff members and their families, who were invited to come stay with them in hotel rooms as they worked through Hurricane Milton, eat dinner as the storm makes landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, at Hyatt Place Tampa Downtown hotel in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
( NewsNation ) — Hurricane Milton pummeled western Florida on Wednesday night with wind speeds reaching 120 mph, making landfall as a Category 3 near Siesta Key, about 70 miles south of Tampa. By early Thursday morning, the storm weakened to a Category 1, its path headed northeast.
The hurricane’s center neared Cape Canaveral, the National Hurricane Center announced at 4 a.m. EDT, with strong winds along the east coast of Florida. Cape Canaveral is near the state’s Atlantic Coast about 55 miles east of Orlando. Maximum sustained winds are 85 mph. The hurricane is moving offshore.
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