Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, as a dangerous Category 3 storm before weakening to a Category 2 as it came ashore, according to the National Hurricane Center. Follow for live updates.

Milton slammed into Florida's already storm-blasted coast Wednesday evening as a Category 3 hurricane threatening huge swaths of Tampa Bay, Sarasota and regions still reeling from the destruction of Helene.

Hurricane Milton is approaching Florida's west coast, threatening the Tampa Bay area—home to more than 3.3 million residents—with potential widespread destruction. A major hurricane has not directly struck the region in more than a century.