Hurricane Milton live updates: At least 13 dead after Milton hits Florida as Category 3 hurricane

Hurricane Milton barreled into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after plowing across Florida, pounding cities with ferocious winds and rain, and whipping up a barrage of tornadoes. It caused at least four deaths and compounded the misery wrought by Helene while sparing Tampa a direct hit.

The storm tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall as a Category 3 storm Wednesday night in Siesta Key, about 70 miles south of Tampa. While it caused a lot of damage and water levels may continue to rise for days, Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was not “the worst case scenario.”

Hurricane Milton brought powerful winds, a dangerous storm surge and flooding to much of Florida after making landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.

Here’s a look at the damage from the storm.

More than 3 million customers are without power in Florida.

More than 50,000 linemen have been pre-staged across Florida to restore power, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

An estimated 125 homes have been destroyed amid a “life-threatening” tornado outbreak ahead of Milton’s landfall, according to Kevin Guthrie, the head of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Florida’s east coast has had “a lot of tornadic activity” that has resulted in structural damage, he said during a press briefing Wednesday evening.

Based on preliminary information, about 125 homes have been destroyed, “most of them mobile homes and senior communities,” he said.

“So we’re trying to get into Florida’s most vulnerable to make sure we’re they’re taken care of,” he added.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there have been 116 tornado warnings issued on Wednesday, with 19 confirmed touchdowns.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue confirmed one collapse late Wednesday about six blocks from the city’s pier. There were no reports of injuries.

The crane was at the site of a 515-foot-tall (157-meter-tall) luxury high-rise building under construction that is being billed as one of the tallest buildings on the west coast of Florida. It was scheduled to be completed in summer 2025.

More than 3 million customers are without power in Florida.

More than 50,000 linemen have been pre-staged across Florida to restore power, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.