Video shows a massive 28-foot wave crashing in Milton before hitting Florida

Drone footage captured a mammoth wave inside Hurricane Milton as the powerful storm moved through the Gulf of Mexico before crashing into Florida late Wednesday.

The storm made landfall near Siesta Key on the state’s west coast as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 miles per hour. The system was downgraded to Category 1 with winds of 85 mph and pushed out of the state Thursday morning near Cape Canaveral, the National Hurricane Center reported in its 5 a.m. update.

Before hitting land, video captured by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration drone shows a massive 28-foot wave with wind gusts of nearly 76 miles per hour crashing about 40 nautical miles from central Milton.

The footage shows a trembling drone seemingly swaying back and forth, battling strong winds as the massive wave crashes and water sloshes around.

“This research represents a collaborative effort to better understand the role of the ocean in hurricanes,” the federal agency published on X.

Live updates: Hurricane Milton leaves destruction in its wake in storm-ravaged Florida

Millions without power, homes destroyed, deaths reported

More than 3.2 million homes and businesses were dark early Thursday, the storm spawned tornadoes across the Sunshine State, and multiple deaths were reported in the state, according to USA TODAY power outage data.

Neighborhoods were flooded, homes were destroyed and the roof of Tropicana Field was torn off.

Meteorologist Tyler Fleming told USA TODAY: Tampa Bay was spared a massive storm surge, but experienced a reverse storm surge that pushed the sea away from the coast.

Officials with the Florida Division of Emergency Management warned residents not to go into the receding water.

“Water WILL return due to storm surge, posing a life-threatening hazard,” the agency wrote on X.

Follow USA TODAY’s live coverage of Hurricane Milton here.

Featuring: John Bacon and Trevor Hughes

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Huge wave in Hurricane Milton captured by NOAA drone: See video