Federal weather agencies have warned that excessive rainfall could lead to flash flooding over the coming days in Florida despite Hurricane Milton’s centre having now passed through the state.
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm in Sarasota County on Florida’s west coast, bringing with it strong winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge reaching as high as 12ft in some areas.
It has already been confirmed that Milton has resulted in ‘multiple deaths’ after spawning a number of tornadoes and has left around three million homes and businesses without power.
More: Hurricane Milton batters Florida leaving more than three million without power
While the worst of the storm may have now passed, “damaging hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts” remain as the back end of the storm continues to make its way over the state’s eastern coast and into the Atlantic Ocean.
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The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned that heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding over the coming days.
“Heavy rainfall across the central to northern Florida Peninsula through this morning continues to bring the risk of considerable flash and urban flooding along with moderate to major river flooding,” they said.
This will particularly impact “areas where coastal and inland flooding combine to increase the overall flood threat”.
In their latest advisory, the NHC also warned that there is “a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the coast from east-central Florida northward to southern Georgia”.
A storm surge warning remains in place in these areas.
