Hurricane Milton crashes into Florida with torrential rain, tornado threats, and storm-force winds–live

Hurricane Milton unleashed heavy rain, tornadoes, and tropical storm-force winds along the U.S. coast on Wednesday, as the window for residents to evacuate from the storm’s potentially devastating path began to close. The National Hurricane Center warned that Milton’s exact landfall remained uncertain due to possible shifts in its trajectory, but the entire Tampa Bay area and regions to the south faced severe danger.

Tropical storm-force winds started hitting the coast by Wednesday afternoon, as officials issued stark warnings urging people to evacuate or risk dire consequences.

“This is it,” said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director for Pinellas County, located on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay. “If you were hit hard by Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout punch. You need to leave, and you need to leave now.”

By late afternoon, some officials noted that the time to safely evacuate had already passed for many areas.