At least 13 dead after Hurricane Milton hits Florida as Category 3 storm

13 people killed | At least 150 tornadoes reported across Florida

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Last updated: Friday, October 11, 2024 9:05AM GMT
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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 25 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."

Oct 10, 2024, 5:52 PM

PHOTOS | Hurricane Milton

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This image provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shows an aerial view of the extensive flooding on Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office via AP

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.

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Oct 10, 2024, 10:05 PM

More than 3 million without power in Florida

Cars move slowly after Hurricane Milton damaged power lines, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Matlacha, Fla.
Cars move slowly after Hurricane Milton damaged power lines, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Matlacha, Fla.

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.

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Oct 10, 2024, 10:05 PM GMT

More than 3 million without power in Florida

Cars move slowly after Hurricane Milton damaged power lines, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Matlacha, Fla.
Cars move slowly after Hurricane Milton damaged power lines, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Matlacha, Fla.

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.

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Oct 10, 2024, 8:09 AM GMT

What is a storm surge?

The entire Gulf Coast of Florida is especially vulnerable to storm surge -- the level at which sea water rises above its normal level.

Much like the way a storm's sustained winds don't include the potential for even stronger gusts, storm surge doesn't include the wave height above the mean water level of the surge itself.

Surge is also the amount above what the normal tide is at the time, so a 15-foot (5-meter) storm surge at high tide with 10-foot (3-meter) waves on top of that can level buildings with ease, knock down bridges and flatten anything in its path.

Residents are urged to head warnings ahead of powerful storms, like Hurricane Milton
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Oct 10, 2024, 5:56 AM GMT

More than 2.6 million without power in Florida

More than 2.6 million customers were without power in Florida just before 2 a.m., according to PowerOutage.us, a utility tracker.

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Oct 10, 2024, 5:48 AM GMT

Milton becomes Category 1 storm

Hurricane Milton is now a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds at about 90 mph.

The storm is moving east-northeast at about 16 mph, as a flash flood emergency continues over portions of west-central Florida.

-ABC News' Richard Von Ohlen