Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday evening near Siesta Key in Sarasota County along the west coast of Florida as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of life-threatening storm surges.
In addition to storm surges, forecasters at the NHC warned of extreme wind and flash flooding across the central Florida Peninsula.
At 11 p.m. ET, the NHC downgraded Milton to a Category 2 storm, but it was still packing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.
Hours earlier, many people in Florida ran out of time to get to higher ground before Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm. In an evening update to the American public, President Biden warned Floridians, "Currently, Milton is a Category 3 ... but no one should be confused. It's still expected to be one of the most and worst destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in over a century."
"At this point, evacuation's probably difficult, so I encourage people to look for safer shelter," he said in remarks from the White House. "Sometimes moving just a few miles can mean the difference between life and death."
The storm, which had fluctuated between a Category 4 and 5 on the wind strength scale for days, was designated a Category 3 storm late Wednesday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.
While the winds have decreased, the danger has not. The projected storm surge has dropped just a bit — with a maximum of 13 feet predicted in some areas. But 13 feet would still be catastrophic.
The number of people without power grew steadily into the night. By late Wednesday, more than 2 million homes and businesses were without power in Florida, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.
Government leaders in Sarasota County, Fla., told residents they need to shelter in place as Hurricane Milton continues to bring harsh conditions to the area.
In a post on X, officials said, “It is no longer safe to be on the roadways. Individuals SHOULD NOT go out on the roadways. They should now SHELTER IN PLACE. There are reports of flooding and it is not safe to be out on the road for the duration of the storm.”
In a Wednesday briefing with President Biden and Vice President Harris, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham said his agency tried to avoid saying the storm has "weakened" when there are changes to things like wind speed because it could give listeners a false perspective that conditions have become safe.
"People will think 'Oh, it was a [Category] 5, now it's a [Category] 3.' That's not a reason to relax," Graham said. "That means we've expanded the wind field. The impacts don't change associated with that."
Milton is also expected to remain a hurricane as it churns across Florida for 12 hours and enters the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.
Tropical-storm-force winds began reaching Florida's west coast Wednesday afternoon.
Local resources
Member stations across the NPR Network in Florida are covering the local impact of Hurricane Milton.
For those that might lose power or cell service, please note the frequency of your local station for your emergency radio needs.
➡️ Tampa Bay [via WUSF] | Text-only site | Radio: 89.7 FM
➡️ Tampa [via WMNF] | Radio: 88.5 FM
➡️ Orlando [via Central Florida Public Media] | Text-only site | Radio: 90.7 & 89.5 FM
➡️ Fort Myers via [WGCU] | Radio: 90.1 & 91.7 FM
➡️ Miami [via WLRN] | Radio: 91.3 FM
➡️ Gainesville [via WUFT] | Text-only site | Radio: 89.1 & 90.1 FM
➡️ Jacksonville [via WJCT] | Radio: 89.9 FM
“You need to prepare for catastrophic impacts,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said, speaking to anyone in Milton’s path. “This is going to be a serious storm, one that could forever change communities that are still recovering from Helene.”
She urged people to seek safety and added, “We do not need to lose any lives as a result of this storm.”
Biden and Harris addressed the storm on Wednesday afternoon, urging residents to get to safety.
"We’ve been working around the clock to prepare for Hurricane Milton,” Harris said. She addressed those in the path of the hurricane, saying it would be different than others residents might have experienced. “We urge you to take this storm seriously. This is a storm that is expected to be of historical proportions."
Biden talked of a campaign of disinformation related to the storm and its aftermath. “Former President Trump has led the onslaught of lies. … It’s got to stop," he said.
"Even one congresswoman suggesting that I control the weather and implying that I'm sending it to red states," Biden said in reference to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The far-right Georgia Republican tweeted in the wake of Hurricane Helene that an unspecified "they" can control the weather, implying that it might be in an effort to influence the Nov. 5 election.
"I mean, it’s stuff off the wall. It’s like out of a comic book," Biden said.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said: "False information only is fuel for the criminal element to exploit individuals in positions of vulnerability."
Harris added that: "Anyone taking advantage of consumers will be held accountable.”
Parts of South Florida were also put under tornado watches and warnings Wednesday morning. Several tornadoes were spotted, including one near the Miccosukee Service Plaza along I-75 — where it crossed the interstate, according to the National Weather Service office in Miami.
Heavy rain spread over southwestern and west-central Florida early Wednesday, bringing some of the hurricane's first direct effects to the U.S. Conditions deteriorating as the day wears on, people in the storm’s path were being urged to finish any preparations and evacuate if ordered to do so.
A mass exodus from coastal areas has affected gas stations, with the GasBuddy platform reporting that more than 24% of stations were out of gas in Florida as of 2:43 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Where is Milton now?
As of 9 p.m. ET, Milton was a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained wind speeds of 115 mph, the NHC said — a welcome decrease from the 160 mph speeds seen in the early morning. It was about 5 miles north of Sarasota and traveling at 15 mph. Multiple safety advisories and evacuation orders are in effect in western Florida. The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm surge could get as high as 13 feet in some places, and rainfall totals could reach 18 inches.
Storm surge warnings are in effect for Florida's west coast from Flamingo northward to Yankeetown, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. Hurricane warnings are in effect for Bonita Beach northward to Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay. Hurricane warnings also are in effect for the state's east coast from the St. Lucie-Martin County Line northward to Ponte Vedra Beach.
“If you are in those storm surge evacuation zones in that region, please escape now, while you still can,” National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said in an update.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued states of emergency in 51 out of 67 counties.
Debris from Helene could become "projectiles"
Residents and leaders are highlighting concerns about debris from Helene becoming ammunition for Milton’s winds and water.
“We just hadn't even completed our clean up from Helene,” Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert told NPR’s Morning Edition. “One of the really bad things is that people's things are still on the side of the road and, you know, that's disturbing enough to see — and then now those things are going to become projectiles or battering rams in this surge.”
Noting Milton’s imposing surge levels and strong winds, Alpert added, “This is really scary.”
The mayor said people were moving out of the way of the storm.
“A lot of people have left,” Alpert said. “Especially on our barrier islands … because they will just be entirely under water. It won’t be survivable.”
Thousands have left their homes to seek safety
For days now, officials have been imploring people to take evacuation orders seriously, emphasizing that people who can relocate even a relatively short distance away from flood-prone areas can find more safety and security. As of Wednesday morning, some of those shelters were at capacity.
Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, had urged people in the storm’s path to find a place to stay with family or friends, or in a hotel beyond an evacuation zone.
“Shelters are a last resort and should be used only if you have no other options for evacuation,” the county said.
In Sarasota County, “more than 4,130 people and close to 700 pets” were in evacuation centers as of 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, member station WUSF reports.
Buses had been giving free rides to shelters in Sarasota, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas and Pasco counties — but that service stopped at noon, due to the approaching storm.
Hoping to blunt the storm’s impact, the Florida Division of Emergency Management says it has distributed 726,200 liters of water; 581,000 MREs; 237,000 sandbags; nearly 33,600 tarp kits.
FEMA chief heads to Florida ahead of Milton’s arrival
Criswell said she will join FEMA staff in Florida on Wednesday — traveling from North Carolina, where she’s been overseeing the agency’s response to the massive devastation left by Helene.
“We have over 1,000 personnel that have been in Florida responding to Hurricane Helene” and other storms, she said. In addition to that number, Criswell added, “We’ve moved in over 1,200 search and rescue personnel.”
Other federal personnel are also in Florida, to help towns and cities assess vital services such as health and medical needs and power. Across all the states impacted by Helene, Criswell said, more than 5,200 federal responders are at work.
“We are here to help people, we are here to save lives and that is exactly what we are postured to do for these incidents,” she said.
Milton became a hurricane on Sunday after its wind speeds increased over very warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Milton's arrival comes just under two weeks after Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic levels of storm surge, rain and strong winds to Florida.
NPR's Maquita Peters contributed reporting.
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