The latest on Hurricanes Milton and Helene

Hurricane Milton made landfall near Sarasota, Florida, around 8:30 pm Wednesday as a powerful Category 3 storm with up to 120 mph winds. The storm — and the many tornadoes it spawned — left more than 3 million Floridians without power. Several fatalities have been reported so far. As of Thursday morning, Milton was still a Category 1 storm just off the east coast of Florida, though it’s expected to weaken later today as it moves farther offshore. Milton struck parts of Florida still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which devastated the US Southeast less than two weeks ago. Helene left Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia to battle with record storm surge, wind damage, and catastrophic flooding. Over 230 people were killed across the six states and millions of homes and businesses were left without power. The monstrous storms follow a summer lull in what’s been projected to be an especially active hurricane season, which could extend through November. Follow here for the latest news and updates.