Hurricane Milton grows larger as ‘extremely dangerous’ storm surges closer to Florida: Live updates

Multiple confirmed tornados tore across southern Florida as ‘storm of the century’ nears sunshine state

Florida police rescue dog tied to fence during Hurricane Milton evacuations

Florida residents in the path of Hurricane Milton were instructed to take shelter Wednesday afternoon ahead of the storm’s anticipated landfall in the evening.

The storm brought destructive tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge, hours before it was expected to make landfall.

Nearly 300,000 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 3 hurricane on Wednesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center predicts it will be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida”.

Federal and state officials have urged those in Milton’s path to evacuate to avoid “catastrophic” winds, up to 18in rainfall and up to 15ft of storm surge, before the major hurricane slams into Florida’s west-central coast.

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.

Key Points

• Watch live: Tampa, Florida braces for ‘catastrophic’ Hurricane Milton
• Tracking Hurricane Milton: Where is storm now?
• Giant tornado rips through Florida heartland as residents evacuate
• Hurricane Milton's center is 100 miles away from Tampa

[9 October 2024 19:11 · Julia Musto]

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