Featured Image Credit: @NOAASatellites/X
Topics: Florida, Weather, Climate Change
Joe Yates
Terrifying footage has been captured from space revealing what looks like a wall of lightning hailing down on Florida as Hurricane Milton approached.
It has been dubbed the 'storm of the century' and while the beast has passed over the Sunshine State and barrelled into the Atlantic Ocean, it has devastated the everything in its path.
The ginormous storm had winds of up to 180mph on the approach before downgrading to category three on landfall last night (October 9) in Siesta Kay.
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And if wind speeds of up to 129mph weren't enough, it was joined by at least 19 confirmed tornadoes and an almighty wall of lightning.
Meteorologist Chris Vagasky took to Twitter earlier this week, writing: "An astounding 58,000+ lightning events detected in Milton's eyewall over the last 14 hours!
"This incredible example of the Enveloped Eyewall Lightning Signature has experienced more than 1 lightning event every second, and it's still going."
At least four deaths have since been confirmed on the back of Hurricane Milton as search and rescue operations get underway across the state.
St. Lucie County officials released the following statement this morning (October 10) local time: "First responders and public works/utility crews are conducting response and recovery efforts caused by two confirmed tornados that touched down prior to the arrival of Hurricane Milton Wednesday, Oct. 9 starting around 4:30pm.
"The St. Lucie Medical Examiner has confirmed four fatalities as a result of these tornadoes."
It is the third hurricane to hit Florida this year, and has left more than three million people across the state without electricity.
While residents and government officials are left to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of the storm, Hurricane Milton now rages on and is expected to continue into the Atlantic Ocean and will pass by Bermuda.
The British island territory is home to more than 63,000 people.
As for Floridians, regardless of the danger to life, thousands of people in the state decided to make the bold move of staying in their properties and there have been some incredible stories to come out of it - including that of Pedro Casares.
The Florida man unconventionally strapped down his home in Orlando in a bid to stop it from being destroyed.