The destructive winds of Hurricane Milton were so powerful that the gusts tore off the roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
The domed stadium ‒ the home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays ‒ had been converted into a base camp for thousands of emergency responders in anticipation of the storm making landfall off the western coast of Florida.
But when Milton began to surge Wednesday across the Florida Peninsula at Category 3 strength, Tropicana Field found itself directly in the storm’s path. Video and photos show the moment the strong winds ripped through the stadium’s domed roof, as well as the tattered remnants that now remain.
No injuries were reported, the Rays said in a statement shared Thursday afternoon on social media platform X.
‘Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field,’ the team said in the statement. ‘In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building.’
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Watch video of Rays’ stadium roof torn off
See photos of damaged roof of Tropicana Field
This article has been updated to add new information.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
