Hurricane Milton Update as Florida Breaks Tornado Warning Record

A record number of tornado warnings have been issued throughout Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches the Sunshine State’s Gulf Coast.

The Category 3 storm is expected to make landfall near the Tampa Bay region sometime Wednesday evening. As of 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center tracked Milton roughly 60 miles west-southwest of Sarasota, with sustained wind speeds of up to 120 mph.

The impacts of Milton have been felt throughout the day, however. Heavy thunderstorms and tropical force winds reached parts of Florida by Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service (NWS) also confirmed that several tornadoes touched down in southern Florida ahead of Milton making landfall, and dozens of tornado warnings were issued across the state.

Over 90 tornado warnings have been issued in Florida by the NWS on Wednesday, the most for any single day in the state’s history, CNN said.

Fox Weather meteorologist Mathieu Blue reported that the NWS offices in Miami and Tampa broke their own records for the number of warnings issued. In Miami, forecasters issued 38 tornado warnings on Wednesday, breaking its previous record of 37 set during Hurricane Ian in September 2022.

Tampa’s NWS office issued 29 tornado warnings ahead of Milton, surpassing its record of 23 set in June 2013 during Tropical Storm Andrea.

Florida Counties With Tornado Warnings

As of 4:30 p.m. ET, six counties in Florida had active tornado warnings in place. Some of the warnings were set to end at 5 p.m. ET.

A tornado warning by the NWS means that a twister has been sighted or was indicated by weather radar. The NWS urges residents under a warning to “take action” and seek shelter.

One twister was caught on camera Wednesday morning just north of Alligator Alley in Collier County. The Weather Channel also reported sightings of a tornado that struck down just west of Cape Coral at midday Wednesday. Twisters were also confirmed on radar near the towns of Weston and Clewiston. Around 1 p.m. ET Wednesday, a suspected tornado touched down north of Fort Myers in Lee County.

The NWS confirmed a tornado on its radar over Vero Beach Highland in Indian River County at 4:27 p.m. ET Wednesday. At 4:12 p.m. ET, a tornado was confirmed by the public over Jensen Beach in St. Lucie County.

At 5:40 p.m. ET, the NWS said that its radar indicated a “severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado” over Port Salerno in Martin County, which was moving north at 30 mph.

Minutes later, the service tracked another severe thunderstorm, over White City in St. Lucie County. In a warning, the NWS said that residents should “move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building” and “avoid windows.”

“If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris,” the NWS added.