Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday night in Florida's Big Bend coast as a monster Category 4 storm, lashing the state with winds up to 140 mph and life-threatening storm surges.
More than 900,000 customers were already without power in Florida, as the exceptionally large storm brought damaging conditions hours ahead of its arrival. Flooding was reported up and down Florida's coast, from Fort Myers to Clearwater, with record surge levels reported across the Tampa area. Storm surges up to 20 feet had been predicted for the storm.
Officials have been sounding the alarm for days, urging residents to heed evacuation orders and not underestimate the storm. A state of emergency was declared in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Helene will bring far-reaching effects beyond Florida, with the storm expected to carry heavy rains, strong winds, and the potential for flash flooding as far as the Appalachian Mountains.
Water levels rising sharply on Florida's Gulf Coast
Water levels were rising sharply on Florida's Gulf Coast as Helene's landfall loomed Thursday night.
The water levels at Cedar Key, Fla., about 130 miles north of Tampa, experienced a sharp increase as Helene approached, registering a level of "major flooding," according to the National Ocean Service.
Helene was projected to bring deadly storm surges of up to 15-20 feet to parts of Florida.
TAKE COVER NOW' National Weather Service warns
"TAKE COVER NOW," The National Weather Service warned Thursday night as Helene moved onshore.
The weather service urged anyone in the area to "move immediately to the safe room in your shelter. Take action now to protect your life!"
Helene makes landfall in Florida's Big Bend
Helene made landfall Thursday night as a powerful Category 4 storm in Florida's Big Bend, the National Hurricane Center declared.
"Based on NWS Doppler radar data, the eye of Helene has made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Florida Big Bend region at about 11:10 PM EDT (0310 UTC) just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River," the hurricane center announced.
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