Residents braced for potentially catastrophic storm surge as state pounded by severe winds and heavy rain

• Seven tornadoes hit Florida in advance of Milton
• Some locals choose to stay: ‘We have faith in the Lord’

Hurricane Milton has made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida as a category 3 storm with 120 mph sustained winds, according to the National Hurricane Center. Scientists define landfall as the moment the eye of the hurricane moves over the coast – although the approach of the eye wall in the hours before can be more devastating.

Milton is the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the US this year, CNN reports, more than from 2021 to 2023 combined.