A record number of tornado warnings were issued throughout Florida as Hurricane Milton approached the Sunshine State's Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
The Category 3 storm made landfall around 8:30 p.m. ET near Siesta Key, the second major hurricane to hit Florida in less than two weeks. The hurricane brought storm surges and torrential downpours to the Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas. As of 10 p.m. ET, over 1.5 million customers were without power in the Sunshine State, according to poweroutage.us.
The impacts of Milton have been felt throughout the day, however. Heavy thunderstorms and tropical-force winds reached parts of Florida by Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service (NWS) also confirmed that several tornadoes touched down in southern Florida ahead of Milton making landfall, and dozens of tornado warnings were issued across the state.
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As of 6 p.m. ET Wednesday, NWS offices for Tampa Bay, Melbourne and Miami had collectively issued 98 tornado warnings, the most for any single day in Florida's history.
NWS Miami issued 55 tornado warnings in southern Florida alone. Fox Weather meteorologist Mathieu Blue reported that the office's previous record was set during Hurricane Ian in September 2022, when it issued 37.
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Tampa's NWS office also broke its record ahead of Wednesday. According to Blue's report, at least 29 tornado warnings were issued for the Tampa Bay region ahead of Milton, surpassing the 23 set in June 2013 during Tropical Storm Andrea.
"If the driving rain and wind isn't enough to convince you to remain sheltered in place, there is also the very real threat of tornadoes, even in the outer bands of #Milton," NWS posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. "These tornadoes spin up quickly and move even more so—making staying in a safe place the best possible option."
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AccuWeather Meteorologist Isaac Longley told Newsweek over email Wednesday evening that there will "like be some decrease in tornado activity" as Milton crosses through Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean over the next day.
"However, there can still be several more rain bands that move across the Florida Peninsula through tonight that can bring the risk for a few more tornadoes," Longley added. "Any tornadoes will likely develop along the eastern side of the storm as it moves east tonight."
Florida Counties with Tornado Warnings
At 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, all tornado warnings had ended for southern Florida. A tornado watch is in place until 9 p.m. ET for eight counties in central Florida: Polk, Sumter, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota.
At 4:30 p.m. ET, six counties in Florida had active tornado warnings in place. Some of the warnings were set to end at 5 p.m. ET.
A tornado warning by the NWS means that a twister has been sighted or was indicated by weather radar. The NWS urges residents under a warning to "take action" and seek shelter.
One twister was caught on camera Wednesday morning just north of Alligator Alley in Collier County. The Weather Channel also reported sightings of a tornado that struck down just west of Cape Coral at midday Wednesday. Twisters were also confirmed on radar near the towns of Weston and Clewiston. Around 1 p.m. ET Wednesday, a suspected tornado touched down north of Fort Myers in Lee County.
The NWS confirmed a tornado on its radar over Vero Beach Highland in Indian River County at 4:27 p.m. ET Wednesday. At 4:12 p.m. ET, a tornado was confirmed by the public over Jensen Beach in St. Lucie County.
At 5:40 p.m. ET, the NWS said that its radar indicated a "severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado" over Port Salerno in Martin County, which was moving north at 30 mph.
Minutes later, the service tracked another severe thunderstorm, over White City in St. Lucie County. In a warning, the NWS said that residents should "move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building" and "avoid windows."
"If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris," the NWS added.
Update 10/09/24, 10:12 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.