Hurricane Milton hit Florida in the United States at around 8:30 pm local time on Wednesday. But before it hits the ground, it loses power and weakens. However, before that, the cyclone caused extensive destruction in the coastal areas of Florida.
According to news agency Reuters, the cyclone hit the coast of Milton, Florida at around 8:30 pm local time yesterday. According to the US National Hurricane Center, the wind speed at that time was 195 kilometers per hour. This speed was recorded on an island called Siesta Key. Siesta Key Island is located 100 km off the coast of Tampa Bay, Florida. This island has about three lakh inhabitants.
The report also said that this cyclone has caused extensive destruction in several cities in Florida. Various infrastructure including many houses were destroyed. At least 2 million customers have been left without electricity. In addition, two deaths have been reported in the state’s St. Louis County so far. However, no detailed information is available in this regard yet.
Meanwhile, the speed of the cyclone has reduced to 150 km by Thursday morning local time. However, due to heavy rainfall after the cyclone, there is a risk of flash floods. Agricultural land has been damaged due to heavy rain and wind.
A flash flood warning has been issued for coastal cities along Florida’s Tampa Bay. Flood warnings have been issued for the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Cleanwater, in particular. According to the US National Hurricane Center, 422 millimeters of rain fell in St. Petersburg yesterday.
Before the storm hit, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expressed hope that Florida’s west coast would not be severely damaged. However, the concerned meteorological department has said that the wave height may be up to 13 feet. The governor also expressed hope that Tampa Bay’s coastal infrastructure and shipping would not be severely damaged by the storm.
Governor DeSantis said Milton has already spawned 19 separate tornadoes, which have destroyed 125 homes across the state. But most of the houses were temporary. The US National Hurricane Center has already termed the storm as ‘extremely dangerous’.
Also, millions of people left the state yesterday as dozens of tornado and storm surge warnings were issued, the BBC reported. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Milton could set the record for most destructive hurricane for west-central Florida.
The biggest concern with such storms is tidal surges. Mainly due to the strong winds of the storm, the water level rises. The hurricane center said that areas near the center of the storm could see tidal surges of 3 to 4.5 meters. In this situation, before Hurricane Milton hit, a storm and tide warning was issued for almost the entire west coast of the Florida peninsula up to 500 km.
