Staggering satellite images show the amount of lightning striking Florida as Hurricane Milton hit the Sunshine State Wednesday night.
Images captured by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s GOES East satellite show wild sparks spreading across the southern part of the state as the Category 3 storm made landfall.
The rating marks only the speed of Milton’s wind gusts, as forecasters warned the storm will be one of the worst in recent memory.
It has already generated winds with top speeds of 120 mph, and its rain bands have caused at least five confirmed tornadoes to touch down in southwest Florida, which a sheriff said caused “multiple deaths.”
More than a million were also was left without power beginning at 10 p.m., while the National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency in the Tampa Bay area.
Staggering satellite images show how much lightning struck Florida as Hurricane Milton hit the Sunshine State Wednesday night.
But officials say the biggest danger Milton will bring is the wall of water, known as storm surge. It was initially feared to be 15 feet high, although forecasters now believe the storm surge will reach a record height of 12 feet.
Terrifying drone camera footage even captured massive 28-foot waves caused by the hurricane.
The waves measure approximately 28.12 feet (longer than a London bus and four times higher than Andre the Giant) and have wind gusts of just over 120 kilometers per hour.
The video is part of a program with drone manufacturers Saildrone in an “effort to better understand and predict devastating events like Hurricane Milton.”
The storm caused at least five confirmed tornadoes to touch down in southwest Florida, which a sheriff said caused “multiple deaths.”
Terrifying drone camera footage captured massive 28-foot waves caused by the hurricane.
Nearly six million Floridians were urged to evacuate ahead of the storm, and officials advised anyone who didn’t leave to write their name on their legs so authorities could identify their bodies.
But some were seen Wednesday visiting the Universal Studios complex in Orlando, trying to make the most of the hours before Milton made landfall.
Images of residents having fun while ignoring evacuation warnings sparked scorn on social media, with one person sharing a selfie at the Key West landmark and asking, “What are you doing man?”
In another video that angered social media users, an influencer said she was “going to die” because she was too stubborn to evacuate her home during the storm.
The Florida Department of Health has deployed more than 200 emergency response vehicles, according to the governor’s website.
