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TAMPA BAY - Hurricane Milton barreled through the Tampa Bay region Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, bringing heavy rains and winds that will leave residents up and down the state’s western coast to pick up the pieces of their communities.
While the storm met projections with record rainfall and wind speed levels, Hurricane Milton did not deliver the storm surge the region experienced during Hurricane Helene just over two weeks ago.
The storm's landfall point shifted southward towards Siesta Key on Tuesday night, sparing Hillsborough County's Bayshore area residents. The worst scenario was a high storm surge level, but the storm’s southern dip forced the storm to hit Tampa from the East, allowing the winds to essentially wrap around the water and suck it up instead of pushing it to surge.
According to FOX 13’s Kevin O’Donnell, who reported from the ground on Bayshore Blvd at the tail end of Hurricane Milton, flooding along one of America’s longest continuous sidewalks appears minimal, and electricity appears to be operational.
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Water recedes from Hillsborough Bay during Hurricane Milton
FOX 13's Kevin O'Donnell reports live from Bayshore Blvd. in Tampa Bay where the water receded from Hillsborough Bay during Hurricane Milton.
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