Rain, tornadoes and tropical storm-force winds lash Florida as Hurricane Milton draws near

The storm made landfall late Wednesday near Siesta Key in Sarasota County as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour.

The storm smashed through coastal communities, tore homes to pieces, flooded streets and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes.

The county on Thursday issued a voluntary evacuation order for any residents in "low-lying areas or areas prone to flooding" as the Sunshine State recovers from Milton's impact, which hit the state less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene ripped through the Southeast.

This figure was in a similar range to insurers' first estimates after the hurricane crossed the state, inflicting severe damage but on a slightly smaller scale than feared as it approached.