The city of St. Petersburg in Florida was heavily hit by Hurricane Milton, receiving nearly twice its average monthly rainfall in just one hour. Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm, bringing with it winds of over 100 mph, dangerous storm surge, and heavy rainfall. St. Petersburg reported 5.09 inches of precipitation in just 60 minutes, almost double the 2.3 inches of monthly rainfall the city normally experiences in October. Milton brought a total of more than 16 inches of rain to St. Petersburg, triggering a National Weather Service warning about flash flooding.
The impact of Hurricane Milton on St. Petersburg was severe, with the destruction spreading across the city. The roof of Tropicana Field, the baseball stadium of the Tampa Bay Rays, was ripped off, and images showed parts of it being shredded and blown away by the wind. A crane collapsed on a luxury building under construction in downtown St. Petersburg, with images on social media showing the fallen crane and debris from the building strewn on the street. Storm chaser Jeff Piotrowski described the damage to multiple floors as “catastrophic.”
The neighboring city of Tampa also experienced significant rainfall from Milton, with 11.43 inches of rain breaking the city’s monthly record in just one day. The National Weather Service warned of the risk of considerable flash and urban flooding, along with moderate to major river flooding. Tornadoes hit parts of Florida before Milton made landfall, destroying around 125 homes, many of which were senior citizens’ mobile homes. More than 3 million homes and businesses had lost power in Florida by late Wednesday, and people were warned about life-threatening storm surges, hurricane-force winds, and heavy rainfall.
At least 15 counties in Florida were under mandatory evacuation orders, affecting approximately 7.2 million people. Deaths were reported at the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, but the exact numbers were still unclear. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stated at a press conference in Tallahassee that unfortunately, there would be fatalities as a result of the hurricane. Milton was forecast to dump around 18 inches of rain across Florida, posing a significant flood threat to the state. The impact of Hurricane Milton on Tampa and St. Petersburg highlighted the destructive power of severe weather events, emphasizing the importance of preparedness and response to such natural disasters.
