MIAMI – Windy conditions continued across South Florida on Thursday as Hurricane Milton moved off the state’s east coast after making landfall in Siesta Key, near Sarasota, on Wednesday night with sustained winds of 120 mph.
Milton moved away from Florida and to the north of the Bahamas by Thursday afternoon.
NEXT Weather meteorologist KC Sherman said a wind advisory remained in effect for eastern Broward and Miami-Dade on Thursday with gusts up to 40 mph, while Milton exits and drier air begins to fill back in.
The tropical storm warning for all of the Florida Keys and from the Palm Beach-Broward County line southward was discontinued early Thursday morning.
Airports report delays and cancellations
Hurricane Milton has affected flights at South Florida airports.
Cancellations and delays were reported at Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International.
At Miami International, 148 flights were canceled and 77 were delayed as of Thursday morning. At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, 47 flights were delayed and 58 were canceled.
On Wednesday, nearly 2,000 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled, according to the tracking service FlightAware. That included over 380 flights canceled at Tampa International Airport, which is closed.
Tornadoes hit South Florida
Hurricane Milton spun multiple tornadoes in South Florida on Wednesday.
A tornado touched down along Alligator Alley in western Broward County near Collier County, with no damage reported.
Another tornado touched down in the Wellington area of Palm Beach County, causing damage to some homes and bringing down trees.
Tornadoes turned deadly at a mobile home park near Fort Pierce.
All of South Florida was under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Wednesday. Several tornado warnings had also been issued for Broward County.
On Wednesday, there were 42 reports of tornadoes statewide and 95 tornado warnings issued.
When will conditions improve?
“By late Thursday, things will begin to wind down,” said CBS News Miami chief meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. “Conditions will improve into Friday, and we’re looking forward to a quiet and tranquil pattern setting up for the weekend and into next week.”
On Friday, there will be a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. It will be cloudy with a 20% chance of rain in the day and 20% at night, according to the National Weather Service.
North winds will be around 14 mph with gusts as high as 23 mph during the day, and north winds of 10 to 13 mph with gusts as high as 22 will be seen at night.
Highs are expected to be near 86 and lows around 75.
