Florida residents are being encouraged to shelter in place, as hazards such as storm surges, tornadoes and high winds and flash flood warnings were extended into early Thursday morning.
Hurricane Milton weakened to a still-powerful Category 1 hurricane as it moved across the Florida peninsula overnight, putting millions of homes and businesses in the dark and without power.
As of 3 a.m. ET Thursday, the storm was about 30 miles east-southeast of Orlando, with maximum wind speeds of 85 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). A flash flood emergency existed over west-central Florida, the NHC said.
While the storm has weakened considerably, various storm surge, hurricane and tropical storm advisories were still in effect for the area.
