LIVE: Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Tampa Bay, Florida

HURRICANE Milton has made landfall in Florida’s Gulf Coast as parts of the state brace for the superstorm’s potential 10 to 15 feet of life-threatening tide. The catastrophic storm is expected to bring intense rainfall and powerful winds of up to 155 mph, placing nearly 20 million residents in west-central Florida under a hurricane and tropical storm warning. Forecasters said that widespread flooding with heavy rainfall of 12 to 16 inches could strike the Tampa area. “The track of Hurricane Milton continues to be a worst-case scenario for Tampa Bay region southward to Charlotte,“ the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said Wednesday. State lawmakers fear Milton will be one of the worst and most destructive hurricanes in Florida in 100 years. In the days leading up to the storm’s arrival, millions across west-central Florida stocked up their vehicles with essential items and personal belongings, driving north or south away from Milton’s intimidati