TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Milton crashed into Florida as a Category 3 storm Wednesday, pounding the coast with ferocious winds of over 100 mph (160 kph), heavy rain and producing a series of tornadoes around the state. Tampa avoided a direct hit.The cyclone had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (205 kph) as it roared ashore 8:30 p.m. near Siesta Key, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. Siesta Key is a prosperous strip of white-sand beaches that's home to 5,500 people about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa. The Tampa Bay area has not taken a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century, but the storm was still bringing a potentially deadly storm surge to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast, including densely populated areas such as Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers.The National Weather Service said flash flooding was occurring in the Tampa Bay area, including St. Petersburg, where over 16 inches (41 centimeters) of rain has fallen so far. Heavy rains were also likely to…

Milton has fluctuated in intensity as it approaches Florida

Hurricane Milton, which many fear could become a historically damaging storm, made landfall in Florida Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm. Floridians had been urged to evacuate throughout the week,…

The Tampa Bay region, home to more than 3.3 million people, hasn’t seen a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century.

Hurricane Milton is churning closer to the west coast of Florida. Some residents are insisting they will ride out the potentially catastrophic storm.

Hurricane Milton is hurling rain, tornadoes and tropical storm-force winds at the U.S. coast as time runs out for residents to evacuate from the storm's potentially catastrophic path toward Florida.

Hurricane Milton hurled tornadoes and rain at the Tampa Bay area Wednesday on its steady, potentially catastrophic march toward Florida's west coast, where officials issued a final plea to residents to evacuate or face grim odds of survival.

Two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene “spared” the Tampa Bay region a direct hit and yet storm surge still caused catastrophic damage, flooding homes, drowning people who decided to stay near the coast and leaving massive piles of debris that still sit along roadsides. Now that Hurricane Milton, a more powerful…