Four killed as Hurricane Milton spawns 150 tornadoes across Florida

As dawn broke Thursday, storm-surge warnings were still posted for much of the east-central Florida coast and north into Georgia

A water rescue boat moves in flood waters at an apartment complex in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Picture: AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Hurricane Milton barreled into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after plowing across Florida, where it knocked out power to more than 3 million customers and whipped up 150 tornadoes. The storm caused at least four deaths and compounded the misery wrought by Helene while sparing Tampa a direct hit.

The system tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm in Siesta Key, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa. Damage was widespread, and water levels may continue to rise for days, but Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was not “the worst-case scenario.”