Photos: Hurricane Milton’s landfall

  • Hurricane Milton set to move off Florida's eastern coast Thursday
  • Over 3 million in the state without power
  • Flash flood warnings issued for coastal areas in Milton's path
  • A vehicle is stranded on a water-flooded street after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Brandon, Florida on October 9, 2024.
  • A woman walks through downtown Tampa, Florida, as Hurricane Milton makes landfall on Oct. 9, 2024.
  • A person walks through surge waters after Hurricane Milton made landfall in the Sarasota area on October 09, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida.
  • Palm trees bend in the wind after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Brandon, Florida on October 9, 2024
  • Alex Martinez, of Tampa, Fla., looks out the window of the hotel he's taking shelter in while riding out Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla.
  • Heavy rains and powerful winds during Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Florida, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024.
  • People take photos and videos as they walk through streets inundated by floodwaters after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Fort Myers, Florida, on October 9, 2024.
  • A woman in a wheelchair makes her way along a downtown sidewalk as Hurricane Milton makes landfall on October 09, 2024, in Tampa, Florida.
  • Davis Jones, an insurance adjuster from Biloxi, Miss., looks out the door of the hotel where he is riding out Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla.
  • Amy Sapanara, right, of Pinellas, Fla., reacts as a group of tow truck drivers from Northeast Georgia greet her dogs, Frankie and Dudley, outside the hotel where they are all taking shelter during Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla.
  • A homeless person sleeps under a wheelchair alongside a parking garage in deserted downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024.
  • Off-duty staff members and their families, who were invited to come stay with them in hotel rooms as they worked through Hurricane Milton, eat dinner as the storm makes landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast, at Hyatt Place Tampa Downtown hotel in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024.

(NewsNation) — Hurricane Milton pummeled western Florida on Wednesday night with wind speeds reaching 120 mph, making landfall as a Category 3 near Siesta Key, about 70 miles south of Tampa. By early Thursday morning, the storm weakened to a Category 1, its path headed northeast.

The hurricane’s center neared Cape Canaveral, the National Hurricane Center announced at 4 a.m. EDT, with strong winds along the east coast of Florida. Cape Canaveral is near the state’s Atlantic Coast about 55 miles east of Orlando. Maximum sustained winds are 85 mph. The hurricane is moving offshore.

The center of Milton will emerge off the east coast of the state around sunrise, the National Hurricane Center reported.

More than 3 million Floridians lost power as of 4:30 a.m. EDT, according to the utility tracker PowerOutages.us.

Read live updates here.

Weather

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.