Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida

(The Center Square) – Hurricane Milton hit Florida's west coast Wednesday night near Siesta Key as a Category 3 storm just weeks after Hurricane Helene took landfall in the Big Bend.

By 1 a.m., the storm had weakened to a Category 1.

Milton landed about 70 miles outside of Tampa Bay. High winds, flooding, rain and storm surge continue to pummel the state Thursday morning, causing destruction and leaving more than 3.2 million people without electricity across the state of Florida, according to poweroutage.us.

Mandatory evacuation orders went out ahead of the storm to areas just south of Tampa Bay as Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency for 51 counties.

“If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, warning residents ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall.

Those stuck in the path took to social media, saying, "Evacuation is a privilege," due to gas, hotel, and airline prices skyrocketing ahead of the mandate.

DeSantis said there is stocked fuel in the state, but it's not a supply issue; it's a distribution issue.

The governor said ahead of the storm that a wide range of shelter options are available as an alternative to driving hundreds of miles.

Many turned around after being stranded on the highway. Gas stations ran out of gas in several areas, and many residents decided to turn around and shelter in place.

DeSantis said 8,000 Florida National Guard, 40,000 utility linemen, all Urban Search and Rescue, as well as all Florida State Guard and Fish and Wildlife were prepared and ready ahead of the storm's hit.

Multiple tornadoes made their way across Florida before Milton's initial contact.

Tropicana Field, the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium, had the roof ripped off due to winds where evacuees and emergency workers were to take shelter.

The city of St. Petersburg shut off drinking water at midnight , due to a water main break citywide.

Emergency services in many areas stopped responding to service calls shortly before 9 p.m., leaving those needing medical attention or rescue until after Milton passed.

Milton centered off from the state's Atlantic coastline about 10 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral, with flash flood warnings for heavy rainfall in effect for parts of central Florida.

With bands of heavy rain containing strong wind gusts up to 92 mph in Marineland and 87 mph in Daytona Beach, the storm continued to pummel parts of the state, especially eastern areas.

These conditions are expected to improve during Thursday's second half as Milton heads farther into the Atlantic and the rainfall and strong wind gusts ease up across the state.

Certain parts of Florida's east coast, as well as coastal areas in Georgia and South Carolina, are expected to see part of Milton's storm surge as it passes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that Hurricane Ian, which hit in 2022, was the costliest hurricane in Florida history and the third-costliest ever in the U.S., causing damage to Georgia, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Cuba.