Hurricane Milton made landfall at around 8:30 p.m. near Siesta Key, about eight miles south of Sarasota, Florida.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the category 3 hurricane had estimated maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour.
The landfall occurred way earlier than expected after shifting southward.
Milton is expected to produce dangerous storm surges of up to 13 feet.
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October 9
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Christian Burke stands at the door of his home, where he, his mother, and his aunt plan to ride out Hurricane Milton on the third floor overlooking overlooking Tampa Bay, in Gulfport, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. Burke, who said his engineer father built the concrete home to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, expects his raised ground floor to get up to 8 feet of water in Milton. A boat deposited by Hurricane Helene sits lodged in the bay front park outside his front door.
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The Segundo family, who evacuated from nearby Davis Island, plays a board game with their dog Cassie looking on, as Hurricane Milton makes landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, at Hyatt Place Tampa Downtown hotel in Tampa, Fla.,
Max Watts, of Buford, Ga., walks in the parking lot to check on a trailer parked outside the hotel where he is riding out Hurricane Milton with coworkers in Tampa, Fla. Watts, who works for a towing company, was deployed with colleagues to Florida to aid in the aftermath of the storm.
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Robert Haight looks around his destroyed house after it was hit by a reported tornado in Fort Myers, Florida, as Hurricane Milton approaches.
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Ron Rook, who said he was looking for people in need of help or debris to clear, walks through windy and rainy conditions on a deserted street in downtown Tampa, Fla.,
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Flight check-in kiosks are seen covered in protective plastic at a deserted United Airlines check-in counter at Orlando International Airport ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, in Orlando, Florida.
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Payton Wyse (L) and Andrew Goncharsky pack what they can as they evacuate their apartment before Hurricane Milton’s arrival in Fort Myers, Florida.
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Salvador Gonzalez places plywood over the windows of a business before Hurricane Milton’s arrival in Fort Myers, Florida.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force One leader Brandon Webb, right, addresses members of the task force before they deploy ahead of Hurricane Milton in Doral, Fla.
October 8
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Members of the Florida Army National Guard check for any remaining residents in nearly-deserted Bradenton Beach, where piles of debris from Hurricane Helene still sit outside damaged homes, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, on Anna Maria Island, Fla.
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In this NASA handout, Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm at the time of this photograph, is pictured in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Yucatan Peninsula on October 8, 2024 seen from the International Space Station as it orbited 257 miles above.
