Hurricane Milton made landfall at approximately 8:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, striking Florida’s western coast close to Tampa Bay as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 120 mph. This is Tampa’s first direct impact from a significant hurricane since 1921.

However, the effects of Milton were felt more from the destruction caused by tornadoes, severe flooding, and widespread power outages than from the size of the storm itself. The region was still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which affected it just two weeks prior. By early Thursday, over 3.3 million homes and businesses had lost power.

How does Milton stack up against Helene and previous hurricanes in terms of size?

An examination of archived NOAA advisories reveals that the hurricane-force winds and the surrounding tropical-storm-force winds of these storms extend over vast areas, affecting multiple states.

Let’s take a closer look at how Milton compares in size with other notable hurricanes, including Helene from last month, that have made landfall in the continental United States since Sandy.

Sources: National Hurricane Center; YSL News Network reporting; Reuters