Hurricane Milton: Venice Powerline Explodes, Storm Surge In Charlotte Harbor

As Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key in Florida's Sarasota County, videos emerged of a power line exploding in Venice. The video showed a power line over a home exploding amid the strong winds, causing a massive spark that lit up the evening darkness momentarily. Meanwhile, Venice, Charlotte Harbor, Fort Myers and Sarasota reported a massive storm surge. Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday said that the hurricane 'is currently in the process of making landfall' as a Category 3 hurricane in Sarasota County. It is expected to move towards Tampa Bay, before heading southward for an exit in the Atlantic Ocean. He warned Floridians who have not evacuated to 'hunker down' until the storm passes.Several social media users posted videos of the powerline exploding in Venice.

Powerline explodes raining sparks down on a home in Venice, FL@SevereStudios @MyRadarWX #flwx #florida pic.twitter.com/jv8VAonkJo

— Jordan Hall (@JordanHallWX) October 9, 2024

🚨 #BREAKING Charlotte Harbor is currently experiencing significant flooding due to Hurricane Milton.
Port Charlotte region is projected to reach between 9 to 13 feet storm surge. #wx #wxtwitter #tropicswx #hurricane #hurricaneMilton #FLwx pic.twitter.com/UDcr332mlY

— Jakob Simmons (@JakobASimmons) October 9, 2024

Meanwhile, storm surge was witnessed in several places along Florida's west coast - including the Charolotte harbour, Fort Myers and Sarasota County, where the landfall took place.Despite Hurricane Milton not hitting Tampa directly, the impact of the storm has been felt in the region with reports emerging of deadly effects. The National Hurricane Center said that the eye of the storm made landfall in Siesta Key - a barrier island off Sarasota County which is just about 70 miles from Tampa. However, despite not being directly hit, Tampa saw massive storm surges and powerful, overwhelming winds.Meanwhile, thousands of customers across Florida were without power Wednesday, and the number only kept increasing as the landfall took place late evening. More than 800,000 customers were without power shortly after 9 p.m. according to PowerOutages.us.