MIAMI — This year's hurricane season is only two months away, but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is looking back at a devastating storm that affected lives across Florida last year.
The NHC on Monday released a 72-page report on Hurricane Milton, which made landfall on Florida's west coast as a Category 3 storm on Oct. 9, but spawned a historic tornado outbreak that ripped through Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast.
WATCH BELOW: Final report says Hurricane Milton caused $34.3M in damage
In addition to causing "damaging storm surge" to Florida's west coast, the report said Milton caused 45 known tornadoes on land and a tornadic waterspout over Lake Okeechobee.
"The outbreak included 3 EF-3 tornadoes, 6 EF-2 tornadoes, 25 EF-1 tornadoes, 7 EF-0 tornadoes, and 4 tornadoes of unknown intensity," the report said.
Milton is the first tropical cyclone in the Storm Prediction Center’s (SPC) tropical cyclone tornado database (dating back to 1995) to produce more than one EF-3 tornado.
The most significant tornado was an EF-3 that killed six people near Fort Pierce. The report said there were 14 known injuries associated with the tornadoes.
A gust of about 92 mph was recorded at the North Palm Beach County airport as a tornado passed nearby on Oct. 9.
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The maximum reported rainfall total was 20.40 inches at a site near St. Petersburg.
Other notable rainfall totals included:
- 17.20 inches near Ormond Beach
- 14.83 inches at a site near Orlando
- 11.60 inches near Vero Beach
MILTON CAUSED 12 DEATHS IN FLORIDA
The report said Milton is currently known to be responsible for 15 "direct deaths" — 12 in the United States (all in Florida) and three in Mexico. Direct deaths are defined by the NHC as a death that occurred as a result of drowning in storm surge, rough seas, rip currents or freshwater floods. Direct deaths also include casualties resulting from lightning and wind-related events
In Florida, six people died due to the tornado that hit the Spanish Lake community near Fort Pierce. Four people were killed by falling trees, while there were two deaths due to freshwater flooding. There are no known storm surge fatalities in Florida, the report said.
In Mexico, media reports indicated that two of the deaths were due to hurricane-related high surf, while the third was a man who fell from a fishing boat during the storm. Six other people were reported missing from another fishing boat.
Milton also caused 27 "indirect deaths" in the United States, all of which happened in Florida. Ten of the deaths were due to health issues during storm preparations or post-storm clean-up, while 10 others were due to falls related to storm preparations, clean-up or power failures.
The report said there were four indirect deaths due to automobile wrecks, one due to stepping on a downed power line, one due to a fire started by Milton’s storm surge and one due to a falling tree limb after the storm had passed.
The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) estimated that Milton caused $34.3 billion in damage in the United States, almost exclusively in Florida. However, the report said there are no details currently available about how many structures were destroyed or damaged by the storm.
The NHC said since the area of Florida's west coast most affected by Milton was also affected by Hurricane Helene two weeks before, this complicated damage assessments.
Forecast and Warning Critique
A section of the report critiqued the forecasts and warnings issued during the event. It highlighted the communication efforts made by the NHC and other emergency management agencies during the storm.
The report also recognizes the contributions of various agencies, including the National Weather Service, FEMA, and data providers such as the National Data Buoy Center and the United States Geological Survey.
Read the full report below:
