Siesta Key, Florida – Hurricane Milton has made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, Florida, bringing with it life-threatening storm surges, extreme winds, and flash flooding over the central Florida peninsula.
The storm’s powerful winds have been reported at various locations, with a sustained wind of 78 mph (126 km/h) and a gust of 97 mph (156 km/h) recorded at a NOAA C-MAN station in Venice. A WeatherFlow station at Egmont Channel reported a sustained wind of 77 mph (124 km/h) and a gust of 100 mph (161 km/h), while a WeatherFlow station at Skyway Fishing Pier recorded a sustained wind of 67 mph (107 km/h) and a gust of 83 mph (133 km/h). Even the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport reported a sustained wind of 40 mph (64 km/h) and a gust of 73 mph (117 km/h) as Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida.
No tropical impacts are expected to occur across Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas, although tides are expected to run 1/2 to 1 foot above normal through tonight. The National Weather Service has also assured that no other tropical systems are expected to threaten the Gulf of Mexico for the next 7 days.
