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Hurricane Helene makes landfall in Florida's Big Bend region near Perry as powerful Cat 4 storm

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Published  September 27, 2024 6:44am EDT
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FOX 35 Orlando

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The Brief

    • Hurricane Helene made landfall as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm on Thursday evening.
    • It's moving inland quickly and is expected to bring destructive winds, widespread flooding to the region.
    • Helene had sustained winds of 140 mph.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Hurricane Helene made landfall as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm in Florida's Big Bend region, with maximum sustained winds near 140 mph.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the "eye" of Helene crossed over land at about 11:10 p.m. just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River, about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida, or about 40 miles east-southeast of Tallahassee. The storm was moving at 24 mph to the north-northeast.

In its 2 a.m. advisory, the NHC said Helene was still producing catastrophic winds pushing into Southern Georgia. The storm had weakened to a strong Category 1 hurricane when it was positioned about 30 miles north of Valdosta, Georgia, with maximum sustained winds at 90 mph. It was quickly moving to the north-northeast at 26 mph.

‘Catastrophic' storm surge from Hurricane Helene a concern in Florida

Officials in Florida have warned that nearly the entire state will experience dangerous, life-threatening impacts, including "catastrophic" storm surge, destructive winds, heavy rain, and an increased risk of tornadoes.

State Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said a major concern was storm surge in low-lying coastal areas.

Watch Hurricane Helene live cameras as storm nears Florida landfall

"There is a danger of potential life-threatening storm surge along the West Coast of Florida, including the Big Bend," Guthrie added. "Some areas could experience 3 to 5 (feet) and as much as 15 feet of storm surge today."

Beyond storm surges and damaging winds, Florida faces tornadoes, flooding hundreds of miles inland, and widespread power outages. Utilities have positioned thousands of workers and brought in crews from other states to help restore electricity after the storm passes.

Satellite view of Hurricane Helene as it moves along Florida's Gulf Coast.

Storm watches and warnings

Nearly all of Florida's 67 counties – aside from a handful – are under some sort of tropical advisory, watch, or warning. Those warnings even extended to parts of eastern Alabama, nearly all of Georgia, and parts of South Carolina.

Much of north, north-central, and north-western Florida are under a tornado watch throughout the night, as Helene barrels towards the Big Bend area.

When will the worst impacts from Hurricane Helene be felt in Central Florida?

Central Florida – Orlando and the surrounding cities – began to feel the impacts of Hurricane Helene on Wednesday. The weather will rapidly deteriorate on Thursday afternoon, including tropical storm-force winds, wind gusts, heavy rain, and the potential for tornado warnings.

Hurricane Helene: County-by-county guide to shelters, emergency resources, shelters

Several Florida schools closed ahead of Hurricane Helene. Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay made operational changes ahead of the storm.

Orlando International Airport and Sanford Orlando International Airport remain open, though some airlines have delayed or canceled some flights. Tampa International Airport closed at 2 a.m. Thursday ahead of Helene, and will not reopen until it completes a damage assessment after Helene passes through.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for several counties ahead of Helene. The White House approved a pre-landfall emergency declaration for Florida.

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