The cleanup from Hurricane Milton was underway on Friday as residents returned home after the storm barreled across Florida, spawning tornadoes, knocking out power to millions, damaging homes and leading to hundreds of rescues.
At least eight people died in the storm, and there was significant damage in areas, but Milton wasn't as bad as had been feared. The storm roared into Florida mid-week as some communities were still dealing with damage from devastating Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.
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What happened after Milton hit Florida?
Milton came ashore Wednesday evening as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key, a barrier island of white sand beaches on the Gulf Coast.
The storm made landfall about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of the Tampa Bay area, sparing the densely populated area a direct hit.
As the storm made its way across Florida to the Atlantic Ocean it downed power lines and trees and flooded some neighborhoods. Before Milton even made landfall, it spawned deadly tornadoes.
In St. Petersburg, Milton toppled a crane working on a 46-story building and destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.
On Friday morning, over 2 million customers in Florida were still without power, according to poweroutage.us.
How did people die in the hurricane?
Officials were reporting at least eight deaths as of Friday.
Five people were killed when a tornado hit the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on the Atlantic Coast, authorities said.
In Volusia County, a 79-year-old woman in Ormond Beach and a 54-year-old woman in Port Orange died after trees crashed into their homes, the sheriff's office said.
And in Tampa, police said the body of a woman in her 70s was found Thursday morning under a large tree branch.
How strong was Milton?
The storm reached Category 5 strength with winds of 180 mph (290 kph) while still in the Gulf of Mexico, but then encountered wind shear nearing land that dropped it to Category 3 — less powerful but plenty strong. At landfall, maximum sustained winds were measured at 120 mph (about 205 kph).
Storm surge — one of the most devastating elements of any hurricane — was believed to top out at 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3 meters) in Sarasota County. That was less than feared. By comparison, Hurricane Ian’s 15-foot (4.6-meter) storm surge devastated the community of Fort Myers Beach two years ago.
Some might wonder if it is possible to control extreme weather events. But scientists say hurricanes are too powerful for that, and climate change is providing more fuel than ever for storms like Milton and Helene.
What if I have plans to vacation in Florida?
Three major theme parks in the Orlando area — Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld — all closed as Milton approached but were reopening Friday.
Airports that had ceased operations as the storm threatened were reopening as well. Orlando International Airport — the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked — had resumed full operations by Friday, as had Tampa International Airport.