Hurricane Milton has officially hit the US coast, belting Florida with Category 3 strength. Florida residents were asked to evacuate from the potentially catastrophic path of the storm.
Rains, tornadoes and tropical storm winds hit the coast with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (205 kph).
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The storm is surging on Florida’s Gulf Coast, including populated areas such as Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said, “There’s already been 116 tornado warnings, with 19 confirmed touchdowns throughout the state, 9 flash flood warnings and 4 additional flood watches, with many many more to come.”
Milton drew fuel from exceedingly warm Gulf of Mexico waters, twice reaching Category 5 status.
Milton is the fifth hurricane to reach US land this year, after Category 1 Beryl, Category 1 Debby, Category 2 Francine and Category 4 Helene.
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