Hurricane Helene hits Florida with fatal force

Update, Friday 7 a.m.: Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida just after 11 p.m. Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of about 140 mph. 

Helene moved through Florida into central Georgia overnight while weakening to a tropical storm. A few deaths related to the storm were reported by local news media. On Friday morning, the National Weather Service forecasted the storm would bring damaging wind gusts to the southern Appalachians.

Update, Thursday 5 p.m.: Helene evolved to a Category 3 hurricane with sustained wind speeds up to 120 mph. Forecasts suggest the storm will hit Tallahassee dead-on, FEMA Director Deanne Criswell said Thursday afternoon. Forecasters described the storm as dangerous and expected Helene to continue gaining strength before making landfall Thursday night, with some predicting Helene will reach Category 4 strength. Big Bend communities are already experiencing severe flooding from storm surge waves of up to 10 feet. The flooding and high winds from the storm will extend beyond the Gulf Coast and travel hundreds of miles inland, warned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Helene is an unusually large storm with a wind field extending 275 miles from its center, according to the NOAA. The southern Appalachian region should expect up to 18 inches of rain through Friday and urban areas of metro Atlanta and western North Carolina are major flood risks. Mountainous communities should also prepare for flash flooding, landslides, and extensive river flooding, the NOAA added.

Original story: The storm on Thursday strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane as it neared Florida’s Gulf Coast. The outer bands of the storm began dumping rain on southeastern states on Wednesday and officials in more than 30 Florida counties on Thursday issued mandatory evacuation orders. Helene is forecast to strengthen to a Category 3 hurricane before it makes landfall Thursday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center, with winds up to 115 miles per hour. Hurricane force winds could reach up through central Georgia and could cause power outages throughout the gulf coast.

How else is the storm affecting the Southeast? The governors of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia declared states of emergency as Helene was expected to pour rain across the region. Strong winds were also forecast throughout the region and could knock down trees and cause power outages, according to the NHS. Most Florida schools closed Thursday and some schools closed in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report about Helene moving toward Florida.