Hurricane Milton has made landfall in Siesta Key, Fla. It moved inland as a Category 3 storm with maximum winds of 120 mph around 8:30 p.m. An Extreme Wind Warning and a Flash Flood Emergency remain in effect around Tampa Bay as the northern eyewall moves across the area.

Milton formed into a tropical storm in the Bay of Campeche on Saturday, Oct. 5. It became a hurricane on Sunday, Oct. 6, and just a day later it was already a Category 5 hurricane with max winds of 180 mph as it moved across the Gulf.

What You Need To Know

  • Milton made landfall in Siesta Key as a Category 3 storm

  • Milton will weaken and move east across Florida overnight

  • The strongest winds and heaviest rain are located north of the center

It will gradually weaken as it moves across the Florida Peninsula through Thursday because of increasing shear, dry air entrainment and land interaction. As of 11 p.m., maximum winds were 105 mph and it was moving to the east northeast at 16 mph.

As Milton moves inland, heavy rainfall is creating a flash flood potentia north of the center of circulation. Also, near and on the north side of the center of the storm, is the concentration of strongest winds. Both of these areas lie near the I-4 corridor. While the tornado potential is low overnight, Milton did spawn tornado warnings and rotating storms earlier on Wednesday. Below is a video of a tornado from South Florida on Wednesday, Oct. 9, hours before Milton made landfall.

As the storm came ashore, the winds were out of the northeast and pushed the water out of Tampa Bay. 

Rainfall totals will likely exceed 12 inches along and north of I-4 to the north of Milton's center. Flash flooding is likely across parts of Central Florida on Thursday as Milton crosses the state.

Storm surge inundation will be extreme near Milton's center to the south, with peak inundation up to 10 to 15 feet above ground level. 

The highest storm surge values are all going to be south of Tampa Bay.

Tornadoes are also possible across Central and South Florida as Milton crosses the state on Wednesday night and Thursday.

Here's a look at the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season so far.

More Storm Season Resources

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