Hurricane Milton is devastating vast swathes of Florida and the southeastern United States, as the vast hurricane brings 120mph winds and vast storm surges
are currently fleeing or sheltering in place in their homes after Hurricane Milton made landfall, after building up to a terrifying wind speed of 175mph as it barrelled towards Florida - just weeks after the state was devastated by the deadly Hurricane Helene.
The Foreign Office warned: "There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and high winds on the west coast and heavy rainfall and high winds are expected to impact large parts of Florida."Milton slammed into a Florida region still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which caused heavy damage to beach communities with storm surge and killed a dozen people in seaside Pinellas County alone.
The hurricance made landfall on the west coast of Florida late on Wednesday night, amid warnings that a life-threatening storm surge could cause “extreme flooding”, according to the Met office. The “dangerous and destructive” storm comes in the wake of devastation caused by Hurricane Helene just weeks ago.
But a message has gone out over BBC radio and on social media that there has been a technical glitch with the service. Lead BBC weather presenter and meteorologist Simon King took to X, formerly Twitter, to say at 6.24am: "Oops, don’t be alarmed by some of our @bbcweather app data this morning."Parts of the dome-shaped roof are said to have been torn off at the Tropicana Field baseball stadium in St Petersburg.made landfall overnight just south of Tampa, Florida.
Aviation analytics company Cirium said 11 out of the 14 flights scheduled to operate between the UK and Florida on Wednesday were cancelled, with further cancellations today. “Airlines do however have a legal duty of care and should provide assistance to affected passengers, such as food and overnight accommodation if required, as well as offering prompt rerouting to get people to their final destination when it is safe to do so, including with other airlines if necessary."Multiple tornadoes spawned by the hurricane tore across Florida, the twisters acting as a dangerous harbingers of Milton’s approach.
With the storm weaker but growing in size, the surge was projected to reach as high as nine feet in Tampa.About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane even made landfall, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said.
Milton is expected to weaken to a tropical storm once over the open waters of the Atlantic and transition into an extratropical storm after it passes to the south of Bermuda. In addition to falling cranes and damaged stadiums caused by wind gusts of around 100mph, storm damage is causing city officials to completely shut off all drinking water supplies from midnight local time.
Sheriff Keith Pearson announced that several individuals lost their lives at the Spanish Lakes Country Club, a community predominantly inhabited by seniors. The public body has issued a "flash flood emergency" warning for the Tampa area, as the hurricane begins to move inland. It leaves behind communities that are dealing with up to 10ft of storm surges and sustained wind speeds over 100mph.
A Venice resident has shared footage of floodwaters pouring through the town, while other areas are reporting up to 10ft of flash flooding. Half a million people in this area are now also without power, while emergency services have warned in advance of the hurricane that they will not be able to rescue anyone who has remained behind, after repeated warnings about the deadly force of Hurricane Milton, which built into a rare Category 5 as it made its way across the Gulf of Mexico.Hurricane-force winds of around 90mph are being reported in the Tampa Bay area, where Hurricane Milton is starting to make landfall.
Meanwhile, more than half a million homes in Florida are now without power, as floodwaters and hurricane-force winds tear through the sunshine state.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hurricane Milton becomes a hurricane as it approaches FloridaMilton becomes a hurricane as it moves toward the west coast of Florida.
Read more »
Hurricane Milton latest: Prisons evacuate thousands of inmates as Florida braces for 'unsurvivable' hurricaneFlorida's department of corrections says it has evacuated 4,636 inmates ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall. Evacuation orders are in place for more than a million people as the state prepares for what could be the worst storm to hit the state 'for over a century'.
Read more »
Hurricane Milton becomes a hurricane as it approaches FloridaMilton becomes a hurricane as it moves toward the west coast of Florida.
Read more »
Hurricane Milton becomes a hurricane as it approaches FloridaMilton becomes a hurricane as it moves toward the west coast of Florida.
Read more »
Hurricane Milton becomes a hurricane as it approaches FloridaMilton becomes a hurricane as it moves toward the west coast of Florida.
Read more »
Tragic Hurricane Milton deaths reported as tornadoes tear through FloridaSt. Lucie County sheriff confirmed 'multiple fatalities' reported after a tornado tore through the area earlier today. The fatality number remains uncertain at this stage
Read more »