Hurricane Milton brought record storm surges and winds to Florida’s western coast as it made landfall Thursday morning, just two weeks after Hurricane Helene smashed the state’s same coast.

Drivers in Pinellas County are urged to exercise extreme caution as widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Milton have rendered a large number of traffic signals inoperable. Deputies and local police agencies are working to staff as many intersections as possible,

Pinellas County officials have lifted mandatory evacuation orders and reopened the barrier islands after initial damage assessments from Hurricane Milton.