Weather tracker: Outbreak of tornadoes foreshadowed Milton’s arrival

The effects of the hurricane that wreaked havoc across Florida were felt even before it made landfall

• Hurricane Milton – latest updates

Hurricane Milton has been wreaking havoc across Florida in recent days, with millions of people evacuating and 70,000 moving to government shelters, but its impact began even before it made landfall.

Severe thunderstorms associated with the outer bands of the system produced an outbreak of tornadoes, some unusually powerful. While tornadoes are often produced by hurricanes, the number and severity before Milton arrived were out of the ordinary. In all, 130 tornado warnings were issued on Wednesday, and four people were killed by a tornado at a mobile home community in Fort Pierce.