After lashing Florida, Milton loses its hurricane strength over Atlantic

Oct. 10 (UPI) -- In the latest and last advisory on Milton, National Hurricane Center forecasters late Thursday said the storm's sustained winds have dropped below hurricane strength. All tropical storm and storm surge warnings have been canceled.

In its 5 p.m. EDT update, the National Hurricane Center said Milton had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. It was about 220 miles northwest of Great Abaco Island and was moving northeast at east-northeast at 21 mph.

On its current forecast track, the center of the post-tropical cyclone "will pass to the south of Bermuda late Friday," NHC forecasters said in the statement.

Milton weakened as it moved across the Florida Peninsula after making landfall near Siesta in Sarasota County at about 8:30 p.m. as a Category 3 storm with winds of 120 mph.

Florida's west coast has already been hit by two hurricanes this season.

Hurricane Helene hit the coast near Perry in the Big Bend Region on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm.

Hurricane Debby struck nearby Steinhatchee as a Category 1 storm on Aug. 5.

Milton, the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, is one of three churning in the Atlantic, but is the only one posing a threat to land. The other two are: Kirk, a Category 3 storm; and Leslie, which became a hurricane late Friday.