What to know about Hurricane Milton after it slammed Florida's Gulf Coast

Florida residents began assessing damage Thursday after powerful Hurricane Milton brought strong winds, heavy rains and tornadoes as it moved toward the Gulf Coast and then barreled across the state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters that officials will have a better understanding of the extent of the damage as the day progresses. “The storm was significant but thankfully, this was not the worst-case scenario,” he said.

The storm has caused at least four deaths in a state where communities were still dealing with the damage from deadly Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.

Follow The Associated Press' coverage of tropical weather at https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes.

Where did Milton make landfall and where did it go next?

Milton made landfall Wednesday evening as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key, a barrier island of white sand beaches about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of the Tampa Bay area, sparing a direct hit on the area that's home to over 3.3 million people.

DeSantis said that Sarasota County, where Siesta Key is located, appears to have gotten the worst storm surge at 8 to 10 feet (2.5 to 3 meters). That is lower than the worst place during Helene though.

By Thursday morning, Milton — weakened to a Category 1 storm, but still dangerous — had moved off Florida’s east coast.

How bad is the damage?

Officials in hard-hit Florida counties were urging people to stay home, warning of downed power lines, trees in roads, blocked bridges and flooding.

Before Milton even made landfall, heavy rain and tornadoes lashed parts of southern Florida, and over 100 homes were destroyed.

The storm knocked out power across a large section of Florida, leaving almost 3.4 million homes and businesses without electricity, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports. Multiple cranes were also toppled in the storm.

In St. Petersburg, a water main break led the city to shut down service. And the roof of the city's Tropicana Field, which is home to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, was destroyed. Just inland from Tampa, the flooding in Plant City was "absolutely staggering," according to City Manager Bill McDaniel.

Though the deadly storm surge feared for Tampa never materialized, the city still saw flooding.

Why are scientists saying this is an odd storm season?

Milton is the latest system in a storm season scientists say is the weirdest they have ever seen.

Beryl became the earliest storm on record to reach Category 5 status, but there was record quiet from Aug. 20 — the traditional start of peak hurricane season — to Sept. 23, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Then five hurricanes popped up between Sept. 26 and Oct. 6, more than double the old record of two. On Sunday and Monday, there were three hurricanes at the same time, which had never happened before, Klotzback said.

In just 46 1/2 hours, Milton went from forming as a tropical storm with 40 mph winds to a top-of-the-charts Category 5 hurricane.

Some might wonder if it is possible to control extreme weather events. But scientists say hurricanes are too powerful for that, and climate change is providing more fuel than ever for storms like Helene and Milton.

What makes Milton so unusual?

Warm water fueled rapid intensification that took Milton from a minimal hurricane to a massive Category 5 in less than 10 hours.

Milton also grew so potent because it avoided high-level cross winds that often decapitate storms, especially in autumn. As Milton neared Florida, it hit those winds and dropped in strength.

What if I have travel plans to Florida?

Airports including Tampa International and nearby St. Pete-Clearwater International were shut down.

And tourism in Orlando, about 84 miles (135 kilometers) inland from Tampa, halted Wednesday after the city's airport — the nation's seventh busiest and Florida's most trafficked — ceased operations. At least three major theme parks — Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld — also closed.

The Tampa airport sustained minimal damage and was expected to reopen Friday.