Weather

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday ... and Tropicana Field -- home of the Tampa Bay Rays -- felt its wrath as the storm tore the stadium roof to shreds.

Folks in St. Petersburg -- who reportedly experienced gusts up to 101 MPH -- captured the destruction late Wednesday night when the Category 3 storm arrived ... and footage and pictures showed pieces of the stadium roof swaying in the wind.

The facility was actually set up to be used as a shelter for those affected by Milton ... as 10,000 beds were placed on the field. It was also prepped to assist first responders and debris removal crews.

Taylor Swift's helping out people in the Southeastern U.S. ... donating big money for hurricane relief -- and, she's not the only celeb offering monetary aid.

The pop star donated $5 million to Feeding America, an organization dedicated to providing supplies to hundreds of food banks around the country ... a much-needed donation in the aftermath of the recent devastating Hurricane Helene, and as Hurricane Milton bears down on Florida.

The money will go toward helping communities rebuild and recover, the org says  ... providing essential food to people who need it after Helene -- and Hurricane Milton, now set to make landfall tonight or early Thursday morning.

A man in Florida who refused to leave his small boat multiple times in the past few days has finally agreed to evacuate before Hurricane Milton smashes into the coast ... despite previously telling cops in a viral video they would need to forcibly remove him.

The seafarer reportedly named Joseph Malinowski -- known affectionately as "Lieutenant Dan" on TikTok -- ignored multiple warnings from Tampa police to leave his vessel ... all while a Category 4 storm remains on track to smash into Florida's Gulf Coast.

A clip of Dan's interaction -- posted by TikToker "Tampa Terrence," who has been chronicling Lt. Dan in recent months -- shows the sea captain refusing a police officer's request to leave.

Even Hurricane Milton can't keep Disney World fanatics away from the theme park ... with tourists still swinging by The Most Magical Place On Earth hours before the storm's landfall.

Check it out ... parkgoers -- including men, women, and children -- decked out in ponchos and umbrellas made their way into Disney's Orlando-based theme parks Wednesday morning ... despite the current hurricane warning.

The decision to still attend Disney World is frankly surprising, given the fact the parks are set to close Wednesday afternoon ahead of Milton's landfall in Florida.

A TV news meteorologist in Florida got super emotional live on air as he reported on the powerful Hurricane Milton ... even apologizing to the audience and warning of the storm's potential impact on human life.

John Morales from NBC-owned WTVJ was sharing an update Monday on Milton when he got choked up.

The weatherman told the audience Milton was an "incredible, incredible hurricane" ... and he teared up as he relayed info on the storms sheer size and power, telling viewers ... "I apologize -- this is just horrific."

Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and the rest of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are taking zero chances ahead of Hurricane Milton ... electing to make their road trip to New Orleans days earlier than expected.

The 3-2 Bucs are scheduled to play a road matchup against their division-rival Saints on Sunday ... and were initially slated to fly out on Saturday.

However, Hurricane Milton has changed those plans ... as the Category 4 storm is heading straight for the Sunshine State.

Dolly Parton quickly got back to work after making a huge donation to Hurricane Helene relief ... and TMZ has video of her entertaining at a private event.

Here's the deal ... the country superstar just pledged $1 million to help Hurricane Helene victims in a partnership with Walmart ... the chain is donating a whopping $10 million!

While in Bentonville, Arkansas at the Walmart HQ on Friday ... Dolly put on a private show in an event for Walmart employees with 35, 40, or 45 years of service under their belt, TMZ learned.

Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield are doing their part to make sure individuals affected by Hurricane Helene can get the assistance they need -- the two NFL stars donated $50k each to a relief fund.

The Falcons and Buccaneers quarterbacks made the combined $100k contribution to Team Rubicon -- a veteran-led humanitarian organization -- to help people who dealt with the impacts of Helene after its landfall back on September 26.

"We stand with those who have been affected," Mayfield said. "Honoring the lives lost and the families that are still in distress. Together, we can make a difference."

Ivanka Trump is helping lead an effort with relief organizations in North Carolina in the wake of the devastating destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene last week.

TMZ has obtained photos of Ivanka in full-on philanthropic mode in Western North Carolina Wednesday, where she joined emergency-relief organizations CityServe, Love & Life and Mercy Chefs. Ivanka and CityServe have worked together many times before.

Ivanka was joined by her 10-year-old son, Joseph, and they served up hot meals and fresh produce from Planet Harvest, and dropped off emergency supplies to families in need.

John Daly says his home in Florida was completely wiped out by Hurricane Helene last week.

The legendary golfer revealed the sad news to PGATour.com on Wednesday ... adding that a few of his close family and friends in the area lost their houses in the storm as well.

"You live in Florida," he said, "you have to understand that's going to happen, but not like this. I didn't think it would be this bad."

Logan Paul and KSI are doing their part to help out with Hurricane Helene relief ... sending a whole truckload of their Prime Hydration drink to those affected by the devastating storm.

North Carolina resident Shawn Hendrix -- who has made appearances in several MrBeast challenges -- shared footage of the generous effort ... saying he made a phone call on Monday in hopes of having some Prime product shipped to folks in the hardest-hit areas -- and the company delivered in less than 24 hours.

"I do not know how you got this up here so fast, but thank you guys," Hendrix said on X.

Dana White dug deep into his wallet, but it wasn't to pay a UFC fighter bonus, or buy something extravagant ... the UFC honcho donated $100K to help people whose lives were turned upside down by Hurricane Helene.

White made the donation online Monday afternoon, using the GoFundMe that says it was launched by his good friend Donald Trump.

"President Donald J. Trump has launched this GoFundMe campaign as an official response for MAGA supporters to offer their financial assistance to their fellow Americans impacted by Hurricane Helene," DT's team wrote, adding, "All donations will be directed to help those most affected by Hurricane Helene. Any level of generosity will go a long way for your fellow Americans who are suffering."

Hurricane Helene has ravaged the Southeastern United States, killing more than 95 people ... and flooding has even created dangerous fire hazards that caused at least one Tesla car to burst into flames.

Check out this shocking video ... the electric vehicle -- manufactured by Elon Musk's company --  was parked inside a Pinellas County, Florida garage that flooded with saltwater from the deadly storm.

Underneath the frame, the white car erupts in flames, and the blaze soon spreads, engulfing the entire automobile as smoke fills the cluttered garage.

David Tepper's using his sports teams to help people rebuild their lives ... committing $3 million alongside his wife Nicole, the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC to Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

The investment adviser and his better half made the donation through the David & Nicole Tepper Foundation ... saying they were partnering with the two fanchises to support relief efforts across the Carolinas.

The funds will go to both short-term and long-term goals, according to a press release ... essential since the region remains in a State of Emergency. Some of the money will go to food banks and pantries, local community foundations and other service providing agencies.

Hurricane Helene has devastated the southeastern United States ... and, the U.S. Coast Guard's rescue team is working overtime -- saving both people and pups.

Video is circulating online of a dramatic rescue from Thursday, off the coast of Sanibel Island in Florida... where Helene had disabled a sailboat carrying a man and his dog.

Check out the clip ... members of the Coast Guard are dropped into the water via a rope, swimming over to the disabled ship where man and man's best friend -- both wearing rescue vests -- jump into the water to meet them.

A promotional flyer for the Colorado Buffaloes' matchup against the UCF Knights was met with a ton of backlash on Friday ... with football fans wondering why the social media post wasn't kept in drafts in light of Hurricane Helene -- as it featured a star player knee-deep in water.

The Deion Sanders-led program's official X account shared the imagery at 12:30 PM PT ... in an attempt to signify 24 hours 'til kickoff from FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando.

The flyer was intended to be a play on star defensive back Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig's "Shark" nickname ... but considering what surrounding Southeast regions experienced over the past day, many users felt the theming of the promo was insensitive.