Hurricane Milton has made landfall as a Category 3 storm, with the Met Office warning it will be “dangerous and destructive” as thousands of UK holidaymakers had flights to Florida cancelled.
Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida at about 8.30pm local time. The US National Hurricane Centre reports the hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 120mph.
About 90 minutes after making landfall, Milton was centred about 20 miles (30 kilometres) northeast of Sarasota and had weakened slightly with maximum sustained winds of 110mph (175ph), becoming a Category 2 storm, the hurricane centre reported.
The US National Weather Service has issued the highest level of flood warning to more than two million residents within Milton’s path.
Blackouts from the damaging storm have plunged more than 2 million people into darkness so far, as per the electrical fault website poweroutage.us.
Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Tui are among the airlines to have cancelled flights between the UK and Florida.
A number of airports in Florida have closed to commercial operations, including Orlando International, Melbourne Orlando International and Tampa International.
The Met Office said the hurricane could bring uncertainty to UK weather next week if its remnants end up in the Atlantic, but added Milton was “highly unlikely to reach the UK”.
The weather service said Milton was expected to be a “dangerous and destructive hurricane as it makes landfall”, with the risk of a substantial storm surge.
Met Office tropical prediction scientist Julian Hemming said Milton’s “extremely strong winds” could cause “severe structural damage”.
He added: “But also the thing we’re really concerned about is the storm surge.
“And around the hurricane, and particularly to the south of the eye of the hurricane, we could get a storm surge of up to 15ft, which would cause extreme flooding along the coastal strip.”
Mr Hemming said there could potentially be 300 to 400 millimetres of rain over the next two days over central parts of Florida.
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.
Beyond this, Milton’s remnant is likely to “either be absorbed into a frontal zone or dissipate in situ in the subtropical Atlantic”, the Met Office said.
5 PM ET Update: Milton Approaching the Coast of West-Central Florida.⚠️ https://t.co/meemB5uHAR
Key Messages from @NHC_Atlantic1. A large area of destructive storm surge, with highest inundations of 10 ft or greater, is expected along a portion of the west-central coast of… https://t.co/eX89ETTRaV
— National Weather Service (@NWS) October 9, 2024
Tour operator Virgin Atlantic Holidays has cancelled holidays booked to the Gulf Coast areas of Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg for departures up until and including October 18, and for Orlando departures up until and including October 10.
On Wednesday, British Airways cancelled six flights connecting Gatwick with Orlando and Tampa.
Tui has also said its flying programme will be “extremely disrupted” due to the hurricane.
British woman Jennie Flin told the BBC that Hurricane Milton is the second storm she has been caught up in during her honeymoon in Florida.
“We were evacuated out of Clearwater during Hurricane Helene and now we’re experiencing our second hurricane on our honeymoon,” she told the broadcaster.
Other British nationals in Florida expressed their “anxiety” ahead of Milton making landfall.
Kate Collins, 52, told the PA news agency she is not living in a mandatory evacuation zone but has gathered supplies for the hurricane.
Ms Collins, who was raised in Plymouth and moved to Florida 30 years ago, said she is sheltering with five people and five dogs in her home in Volusia County, which is under mandatory curfew from 8pm local time on Wednesday.
“The mood in the house is definite anxiety. Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best,” Ms Collins said.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said travellers should monitor approaching storms on the US National Hurricane Centre website and follow instructions from local authorities, including evacuation orders.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “We are closely monitoring the development of Hurricane Milton towards the United States.
“We urge all British nationals in Florida, or travelling to the region, to follow the FCDO travel advice, as well as guidance from local authorities.”
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