Hurricane Helene’s impacts could extend well inland to cities like Atlanta and Asheville, North Carolina.
Topline
Hurricane Helene strengthened Thursday into a Category 4 hurricane ahead of what forecasters warn will be a devastating landfall in Florida, with the National Hurricane Center urging “preparations to protect life and property” be “rushed to completion.”Key Facts
Hurricane Helene—located about 120 miles west of Tampa—strengthened to have maximum sustained winds of 130 mph as of the National Hurricane Center’s 6:20 p.m. EDT update, with forecasters calling it an “extremely dangerous” hurricane.
A hurricane warning has been issued for the Florida Gulf Coast from Anclote River to Mexico Beach, with a storm surge warning also in effect from Mexico Beach to Flamingo, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
Helene is forecast to makes landfall Thursday night in the Big Bend area of Florida, possibly just south of Tallahassee, but the impacts of the massive hurricane will reach far inland, with forecasters expecting a “far inland penetration of strong winds over parts of the southeastern United States, including strong gusts over higher terrain of the southern Appalachians.”
“Catastrophic and deadly” levels of storm surge are expected for parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast, with a peak of 15-20 feet of surge predicted between Carrabelle and the Suwannee River, while Tampa Bay will get 5-8 feet of surge, according to forecasters, with “destructive waves” possible as the surge pushes in.
