First Thing: Hurricane Milton slams into Florida as nearly 3 million without power

Streets are deserted as Hurricane Milton makes landfall and batters the west coast of Florida. Photograph: David Decker/Rex/Shutterstock

Good morning.

A weakening but still tremendously powerful Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s west coast on Wednesday night as a category 3 storm, leaving nearly 3 million homes without power, while bringing “catastrophic” winds likely to cause significant property damage.