Hurricane Milton, an "extremely dangerous" storm, made landfall in the US state of Florida on Wednesday evening, bringing high winds, heavy rain and flooding to the centre of the southeastern US peninsula.
Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida "near Siesta Key in the Sarasota area," the US Hurricane Centre said in its bulletin at 20:30 local time (00:30 GMT Thursday).
It recorded winds of up to 165 kilometres per hour in the evening, the same source said, with authorities warning of the risk of flooding.
At least 1.6 million homes were without power on Wednesday night, according to the specialist website Power Outage.
Milton has been downgraded to a category three on a five-point scale, but the US Hurricane Centre still considers it "strong". US President Joe Biden warned on Wednesday night that Milton was expected to be "one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in a century".
Milton, which has been accompanied by "extreme winds" since making landfall, has caused "sudden" flooding, the US National Hurricane Centre said in a bulletin.
"The storm is here. It's time for everyone to get in shelters (...) Stay inside and clear the roads," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference before the hurricane made landfall.
The US National Hurricane Centre said Milton was expected to cross Florida from west to east, with the main impact on Orlando, where the famous Disney parks were closed. Flights were also grounded at Tampa and Sarasota airports.
Tornadoes were also reported in the centre and south of the state, according to the Weather Channel.
In the area where Milton made landfall, residents took shelter in their homes or in designated centres.
Before the hurricane reached Tampa, Randy Pryor, 36, said he was "nervous", stressing that the region was still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Helene, which "saturated the ground with water".
In Fort Myers, a large city on the state's west coast, Debbie Edwards stressed that "everyone is worried", adding that "it feels like we're going through post-traumatic stress" after Hurricane Ian two years ago. But she chose not to leave.
Two weeks after Hurricane Helene tore through the same area, killing at least 236 people in the southeastern United States, including at least 15 in Florida, Diane Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, warned that Milton was "going to be a deadly, catastrophic storm".
For days, authorities have been urging residents in areas under evacuation orders to leave, saying it is a matter of life and death.
Hurricanes are common in Florida, the third most populous state and a major tourist destination.
But climate change, by warming the seas, is rapidly increasing the strength of hurricanes and the risk of extreme events, scientists say.
"Many aspects of Helen and Milton fit perfectly" with what scientists expect from climate change, said John Marsham, an atmospheric scientist.
"Hurricanes need warm oceans to form, and record ocean temperatures are fueling destructive storms. Warmer conditions hold more water, causing heavier rainfall and more flooding," he said.
"Rising sea levels caused by climate change are exacerbating coastal flooding," he said.
For more than a year, the North Atlantic has been at record temperatures, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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