Hurricane Milton gone but scars remain

Milton is headed out to sea but its after affects are still being felt.

Some rain continues to wrap around the storm's backside into east-central and northeastern Florida. Gusty winds, while less intense than those from Wednesday and Wednesday night, can still bring down trees and power lines, especially where the soil remains saturated.

Winds are forecast to be strong enough (gusts between 40 and 60 mph) to trigger tree damage and localized power outages at least along the Georgia and Carolina coasts through tonight.

Hurricane Milton howled across the Florida Peninsula on Thursday, tearing a path of destruction from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic, killing at least six people and knocking out power to millions yet averting the "worst case scenario" meteorologists, officials and residents had feared.

Milton did not go quietly, however, flooding neighborhoods, destroying homes, ripping the roof off a major sports venue and toppling a massive crane into an office building. Two deaths were confirmed in St. Petersburg and four more were confirmed in St. Lucie County on Florida's east coast following tornadoes there.

Power outages are an ongoing issue. More than 3.4 million homes and businesses were in the dark, according to USA TODAY power outage data.

"The storm was significant, but thankfully this was not the worst case scenario," Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a briefing Thursday. He cited the storm weakening before landfall and said the storm surge "as initially reported has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene."

DeSantis said Tampa experienced a reverse storm surge that drove water away from the shoreline rather than overwhelming the city.