Hurricane Milton lashing Florida with tornadoes and wind

 Milton’s forecast landfall time was adjusted earlier due to the track shifting south.

The National Hurricane Center said the storm could come ashore as early as 11 p.m., or within the next 12 hours, somewhere near or just south of Sarasota.

That slight shift is important. The hurricane’s landfall point has shifted south by 10 miles since this morning and 16 miles south since Tuesday morning. It also means the storm has less of the Gulf of Mexico to cover before it reaches land, hence the sooner time.

The earlier landfall time also does not leave much time for Milton to weaken. With only 12 hours left over water, it will likely still make landfall as a major hurricane tonight, at Category 3 or 4 strength.

Milton’s outermost rainbands are producing dangerous storms in parts of South Florida. Multiple confirmed tornadoes have impacted the region since this morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Already, at least three separate tornado warnings have warranted a “particularly dangerous situation” upgrade. This type of wording is nearly the most dire the weather service can use, second only to a tornado emergency, indicating that a damaging tornado is on the ground.

All three tornado warnings seemed to have spawned by the same tornado-producing storm. The most recent particularly dangerous situation warning expired at noon, but the tornado threat will persist for Florida.