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.

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.

Florida's utility and electric providers prepared for restoration efforts immediately following Milton for state's millions of customers post storm.