Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, around 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Authorities had continuously warned about the severe threat the storm posed to those in its path. Striking approximately 70 miles south of Tampa, Milton presents an “extremely life-threatening situation” for Florida’s western coast.
Originally a Category 4 storm, Milton had briefly regained Category 5 strength on Tuesday but was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane by Wednesday evening, with sustained winds of 120 mph. Despite this weakening, NHC expert John Cangialosi emphasized that Milton could still become “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record” for west-central Florida. The storm is expected to make landfall between Tarpon Springs and Cape Coral, according to the official forecast.
