Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key just before 8:30 pm Wednesday evening as the Category 3 storm continued lashing the Gulf Coast with heavy rains, whipping winds while spinning off a string of tornadoes across much of the peninsula.

Milton had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph when it roared ashore near Siesta Key, Florida, at 8:30 p.m., the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.