Storm name Milton retired; Hurricane Center report details its tornadoes on Treasure Coast

• National Hurricane Center publishes Hurricane Milton Tropical Cyclone Report
• Storm produced record breaking number of EF-3 tornadoes, nearly 50 total
• Six of the 15 known deaths occurred on the Treasure Coast

United Nations and U.S. weather monitoring agencies have retired Milton as a recurring tropical storm name, citing the "death and destruction" it caused, as well as three other devastating storms to form in the Atlantic during the 2024 hurricane season.

Milton, which spawned tornadoes that devastated parts of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, was replaced with Miguel; Beryl, a deadly and destructive hurricane that impacted parts of the Gulf Coast, was replaced by Brianna; and Helene, which caused catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States, is replaced with Holly, according to the World Meteorological Organization Hurricane Committee, tasked with monitoring hurricanes.

"Milton caused enough destruction and loss of life they won’t be using (it) anymore," said Brendan Schaper, with the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Melbourne.

The most destructive of 45 known tornadoes recorded across southern and central portions of the Florida Peninsula spawned by Milton, swept through the Treasure Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report about Hurricane Milton. The hurricane reached Category 5 status with winds over 157 mph, and made landfall at night as a Category 3 in Siesta Key on Oct. 9, 2024, with winds of 110 to 129 mph.

Its most destructive tornado, a category EF3 with winds of 136 to 165 mph, touched down in areas of Fort Pierce and Vero Beach and led to the deaths of six people in the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village mobile home community in Fort Pierce, the report shows. The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes by wind speed.

That's half of the 12 known deaths statewide directly caused by Milton.

Tornado destruction to Treasure Coast

The twister had a peak wind gust of 155 mph and touched down just before 5 p.m. Oct. 9 as it traveled from Fort Pierce to Vero Beach in roughly 30 minutes.

It started south of Midway Road, less than a mile east of 11 Mile Road and just west of the Interstate 95 interchange. It went out to sea just south of the Tracking Station Beach Park in Indian River County. It was as wide as 500 feet, with winds fluctuating between 86 and 165 mph, according to a TCPalm report.

The tornadoes shredded through downtown Vero Beach and destroyed homes in its barrier island communities, spurring a search-and-rescue evacuation effort.

The storm also caused significant flooding, widespread power outages and traffic disruptions due to downed power lines and debris in southern Indian River and northern St. Lucie counties.

An EF0 tornado, with winds 65 to 85 mph, impacted Martin and St. Lucie counties as Milton's rain bands swept across the Treasure Coast. The tornado touched down near Southwest Martin Highway and Interstate 95. 

Of at least 19 known tornadoes across east central Florida during the storm, 14 impacted the Treasure Coast, according to the National Weather Service.

Milton was the agency's first in 30 years of monitoring hurricane-related tornado activity to produce more than one EF3 tornado. Statewide it generated three of them; six EF2 tornadoes with winds 11 to 135 mph; 25 EF1 tornadoes, with winds 86 to 110 mph; and seven EF0, with winds 65 to 85 mph. Four were of unknown intensity, according to the report.

The National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report about Hurricane Milton also included total and peak recorded rainfall and winds throughout the duration of the storm from Oct. 5-10. On the Treasure Coast:

• In Vero Beach sustained winds reached 53 mph with gusts up to 84 mph while rainfall totaled roughly 10 to 11.5 inches.
• At sites across St. Lucie County and Fort Pierce the storm generated between 4.5 and 5.7 inches of rain. Wind records were not found for St. Lucie County sites.
• In Martin County, at sites in Stuart, Indiantown and Jensen Beach, sustained winds and gusts were recorded around 44 mph with gusts up to 66 mph and rainfall between 3 and 6 inches.

Facts about Hurricane Milton

• The damage of the storm was estimated at $34.3 billion and “almost exclusively in Florida."
• Altogether, the storm was directly responsible for 15 deaths including three in Mexico and an additional 27 deaths, all in Florida, were attributed to indirect effects of the storm and its aftermath.
• The National Hurricane Center stated that Milton was difficult to forecast at its outset due to what it said was an “abnormal eastward and northeastward track" across the gulf.
• While in the gulf, before landfall, at its peak intensity on Oct. 7, recorded wind speeds reached 155 and 161 knots, or roughly 178 and 185 mph.
• Damaging storm surge was measured at roughly 6 to 10 feet along the central to southwest Florida Gulf coast while minor storm surge impacts were also recorded across the northeast Florida Atlantic coast.
• The storm diminished as it moved east-northeast across the state with its center moving into the Atlantic near Cape Canaveral by roughly 4 a.m. Oct. 10, and having dissipated by early Oct. 11 south of Bermuda.

More information about the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season and the full Hurricane Milton Tropical Cyclone Report can be found on the federal weather agency's website.

Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.