Hurricane Milton’s powerful winds severely damaged the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field overnight Wednesday, with wind speeds exceeding 100 mph. The stadium’s paneled roof was torn off, revealing the playing field and stands inside. The high winds also caused a construction crane to topple nearby, but no injuries were reported. The Florida Division of Emergency Management had set up a base camp at Tropicana Field, but workers and equipment were evacuated as the storm approached. Governor Ron DeSantis stated that the roof was designed to withstand winds up to 110 mph, but precautions were taken due to forecasted gusts exceeding that limit. The stadium, which opened in 1990, is usually busy with playoff baseball games in October, but the Rays missed the playoffs this year after finishing with an 80-82 record. The extent of the damage to the interior of the stadium was not immediately clear. The situation is still developing, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
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Milton damages roof of Tropicana Field, home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays
