(UPDATE) Hurricane Helene is braced to make landfall in Florida today – threatening to bring catastrophic damage to homes in the Sunshine State.
The storm is expected to reach Category 4, one below the highest level, when it approaches the US coastline with wind speeds of up to 130mph after strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico.
Helene is expected to make landfall on Florida’s northwestern coast Thursday evening and as of early morning, hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extended far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia.
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency ahead of Helene’s arrival with state officials warning the impact on residents and businesses could be ‘unprecedented’, while the National Weather Service in Tallahassee forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet and warned they could be particularly ‘catastrophic and life-threatening’ in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. It added that high winds and heavy rains also posed risks.
Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Big Bend Thursday evening, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Also on Thursday evening, ‘hurricane-force winds’ are projected to penetrate well inland over portions of northern Florida and southern Georgia, with ‘strong winds’ across the Carolinas, especially the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians.
‘Catastrophic and life-threatening urban flooding’ is expected to cause landslides across the southern Appalachians and in northern Florida on Friday. (MORE)
