Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm mere hours after making landfall near Sarasota along Florida's western coast Wednesday night, according to forecasters.

Hurricane Milton will be a storm surge event unlike any hurricane in living memory for west-central Florida, said Dr. Ryan Truchelut.

Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key just before 8:30 pm Wednesday evening as the Category 3 storm continued lashing the Gulf Coast with heavy rains, whipping winds while spinning off a string of tornadoes across much of the peninsula.