The Latest: Milton causes widespread power outages and several deaths in Florida

Hurricane Milton brought powerful winds, a dangerous storm surge and flooding to much of Florida after making landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.

It weakened as it plowed through Florida late Wednesday into Thursday. Power outages were widespread, and at least eight deaths have been reported from severe weather.

The cyclone had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (205 kph) when it roared ashore in Siesta Key, south of the populated Tampa Bay region, the National Hurricane Center said. High winds, heavy rain and flooding hit areas including densely populated Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers.

Follow AP’s coverage of tropical weather at https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes.