direct hit

That is until Wednesday, when the Mountain fire made a direct hit, burning numerous homes and sent resident fleeing for safety.

A direct hit would have inflicted catastrophic, region-remaking losses on Tampa and environs, due to NASCAR-speed winds and unprecedented levels of storm surge.

Milton did not make a direct hit on Tampa as expected, and instead swerved a little bit south.

Officials say the Tampa Bay region could face a direct hit, but the exact path of the storm remains unclear.

On Sunday night, there was a direct hit on Haifa - something which had not happened since Israel and Hezbollah last fought a war in 2006.