Milton's storm surge caused water levels to rise up to 10 feet on Florida's Gulf Coast

 Hurricane Milton drove feet of storm surge onto Florida’s Gulf Coast, causing water levels there to rise at least 5 to 10 feet above ground level, according to preliminary estimates from the National Hurricane Center.

A roughly 65 mile stretch of coast between Siesta Key, where Milton made landfall, and Ft. Myers Beach, experienced this worst storm surge.

The storm surge was caused by Milton’s winds pushing the Gulf of Mexico onto land. Since those winds blow counterclockwise around its center, or eye, the worst storm surge was located where winds blow onshore, or east and south of that eye.

This means Milton’s landfall location south of Tampa Bay spared the area from the worst-case scenario forecasts of up to 15 feet of storm surge and instead drove it into the areas listed above.

Surveys of damage along the coast in the coming weeks will help determine Milton’s exact peak storm surge.