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Hurricane Helene intensified into a major Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds making landfall Thursday night and bringing devastation to Florida’s Big Bend, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The NHC said the center of the massive storm came ashore at 11:10 p.m. just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry in Taylor County, 70 miles north-northwest of Cedar Key and 45 miles east-southeast of Tallahassee heading north-northeast at 24 mph.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said at least one fatality was being blamed on the storm, a fatal wreck on Interstate 4 in Ybor City when an overhead sign had fallen on a vehicle.
Insane moments as one of many smaller homes float away in Steinhatchee, FL. Footage available for licensing. Contact me at
rigsbysuniquephotography@gmail.com #FLwx #helene @NBCNews @CBS @weatherchannel pic.twitter.com/0MTPzFlK0z
— Aaron Rigsby (@AaronRigsbyOSC) September 27, 2024
“It’s hazardous conditions right now, and please, do not be going outside until things settle down,” he said during an 11:15 p.m. press conference from the Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. “We know that travel on the roads can be hazardous, and we typically, unfortunately will have fatalities in every storm from that when you are out on the roads in the middle of one of these storms. That is very, very dangerous. So please do not do that. Stay put.”
He said the impacts will be considerable.
“This is a a big storm. It’s a powerful Category 4 storm, but it’s also just very large and it’s going to have impacts that are being felt, have been felt, and will continue to be felt far and wide,” he said. “So when Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we’re going to be waking up to a state where very likely there’s been additional loss of life, and certainly, there’s going to be loss of property, you’re going to have people that are going to lose their homes because of this storm. And so please keep those folks in mind, keep them in your prayers.”
By Friday morning, rescue crews were in action along the Gulf Coast for calls from people flooded by storm surge.
Nearly 1.2 million customers were without power by 6:30 a.m. Friday, according to poweroutage.us.
DeSantis is set to give an update from Tallahassee at 9 a.m. Friday.
Eyewall hitting Perry, Florida right now !! #Helene pic.twitter.com/K6p8xBjMbA
— Mike Theiss (@MikeTheiss) September 27, 2024
“Helene is producing catastrophic winds that will be spreading onshore in the Florida Big Bend region during the next few hours,” the NHC posted in a 10 p.m. update. “This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Persons should not leave their shelters and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions.”
By 5 a.m. Friday, it had lost intensity inland becoming Tropical Storm Helene with 70 mph sustained winds moving north quickly at 30 mph about 40 miles east of Macon, Georgia and 100 miles southeast of Atlanta. Tropical-storm-force winds extend out 275 miles.
“All hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been discontinued along the Florida east coast south of the Flagler/Volusia county
line, and along the Florida west coast south of the mouth of the Suwannee River,” reads the NHC advisory.
A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the mouth of the Suwannee River to Indian Pass and from the Volusia/Flagler county line north to Little River Inlet, South Carolina. A storm surge warning remains in effect from Indian Pass south to Bonita Beach and Tampa Bay.
“A turn toward the north is expected this morning, taking the center over central and northeastern Georgia. After that, Helene is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley later today and Saturday,” forecasters said.
The system is forecast to weaken and become a post-tropical low this afternoon or tonight.
“However, the fast forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States, including over the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians,” forecasters said.
As night falls, a dangerous Hurricane Helene nears landfall along the Florida coast. pic.twitter.com/STvtnd2Aj0
— CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) September 27, 2024
In a special 6:20 p.m. update, the NHC said an NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft found that the maximum sustained winds had increased to 130 mph, making it a Category 4 hurricane. That took less than four hours since the NHC found it had grown into a Category 3 major hurricane, picking up energy from the hot waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
“A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level, along with destructive waves,” said NHC senior hurricane specialist Jack Beven. “There is also a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the remainder of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula. Residents in those areas should follow advice given by local officials and evacuate if told to do so.”
At 11 p.m., hurricane-force winds extended out 60 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extend out 310 miles from the center.
A sustained wind of 64 mph with a gust to 84 mph was reported in Cedar Key to the south of the center. A gust of 83 mph was reported in Steinhatchee.
An NOAA National Ocean Service tide gauge located on Cedar Key recently reported a water level of 7.33 feet above mean higher high
water.
“Very concerned about multiple life-threatening hazards that are going to start playing out here in just the next couple of hours,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan, who updated its dangers in a 5:30 p.m. report.
He was especially concerned between Apalachicola and Chassahowitzka, where 10 to 20 feet of storm surge could flood the area above ground level, “especially near and to the right of where the center of Helene crosses the coast.”
“20 feet is enough to inundate a two story building. There’s going to be destructive wave action on top of that, especially near where the hurricane makes landfall,” he said. “So this is going to create unsurvivable conditions in these areas.”
He said it will be a very dangerous night.
“We’re also expecting catastrophic hurricane force winds within the eye wall of Helene, where it makes landfall on the Florida Big Bend coast tonight, and hurricane-force winds are going to spread inland across portions of northern Florida and Georgia overnight tonight and early Friday,” he said. “So again, shelter in interior portions of well-built structures, well-built homes, away from windows away from the potential for falling trees to hit you.”
From Fort Myers Beach up to Tampa Bay, surge from the hurricane kicked up through the afternoon into the evening flooded roads and shut down bridges. Several barrier islands are impassable now with law enforcement saying they can no longer respond to distress calls of anyone who chose not to evacuate.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office shared this video showing the storm surge flooding on Fort Myers Beach Thursday night. pic.twitter.com/A7tWrGwYzQ
— Channing Frampton (@Channing_TV) September 27, 2024
DeSantis had given a press conference at 6 p.m. from the EOC predicting landfall in Taylor County east of Tallahassee after 11 p.m.
“We’re going to see some effect soon, but right now you actually still have time to be able to evacuate,” he said about residents in North Florida in the storm’s path. However, he said that time has passed for those down the Gulf Coast such as the Tampa area.
Damage will be significant in North Florida, he said.
WATCH: Winds rip off part of a home in Venice as Hurricane Helene passes Tampa Bay.
More videos of storm damage here: pic.twitter.com/ZUpTQGocCJ
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) September 26, 2024
“It’s going to be a significant storm,” he said. “And even as it moves inland throughout northern Florida, you are going to see trees that are going to be falling down. That’s just the reality of what we’re doing, of what we’re seeing here, and if you hear the tree limbs snapping around you, sometimes it almost sounds like fireworks are going off, treat that as a tornado, shelter in a part of the home that would be where you have protection from that.”
He said avoid standing water, don’t drive through flooded streets and don’t go outside when it’s dark out.
“There’s going to be hazards there. It’s just not something you want to be navigating in the dark,” he said.
And if it gets suddenly quiet in the middle of the storm, that’s likely the eye of the storm. Don’t go outside then, either.
After the storm, there could be downed power lines. And those using generators need to keep them safely away from their homes to avoid death from carbon monoxide poisoning.
“We can’t control how strong this hurricane is going to get. We can’t control the track of the hurricane,” he said. “But what you can control is what you can do to put yourself in the best chance to be able to ride this out in a way that’s going to be safe.”
The National Weather Service also issued a tornado watch covering the majority of Florida’s peninsula from north-central Florida down to the Keys until 8 p.m. and North Florida until 10 p.m. It expanded the watch for Central Florida and north into Georgia until 6 a.m.
More than 60 tornado warnings have been issued across Florida since midnight through 9 p.m.
The Skyway Bridge and the Howard Frankland Bridge are both CLOSED due to high winds and storm surge. Motorists should stay off the highways. #Helene pic.twitter.com/OAM2aMUPEP
— FHP Tampa (@FHPTampa) September 26, 2024
Wind gusts over 60 mph forced the Florida Highway Patrol to shut down the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay in the afternoon, and later shut down the Howard Frankland Bridge, Courtney Campbell Causeway and Gandy Bridge that connect Tampa to St. Petersburg.
Brennan warned of powerful winds north of landfall up into the Tallahassee area and even farther into Georgia.
“Everybody in that region needs to be prepared for hurricane-force winds, the potential for long-duration, widespread power outages, structural damage, tree damage, trees falling on homes, out on cars or people if you’re outside, and the potential for catastrophic wind damage near where the core of Helene makes landfall on the Florida Big Bend coast,” he said.
“Storm surge, wind, and rainfall impacts will extend well away from the center and outside the forecast cone, particularly on the east side,” Beven said. “In addition, the fast forward speed when Helene moves inland will result in a far inland penetration of strong winds over parts of the southeastern United States, including strong gusts over higher terrain of the southern Appalachians. … A higher-than-normal gust factor is indicated in the official forecast while Helene is inland.”
The Palma Sola Causeway is CLOSED. Water over road, loose sailboat, and multiple trees down. #Helene pic.twitter.com/NDI8IZth6Z
— Bradenton Police Department (@BradentonPD) September 27, 2024
DeSantis also spoke at a 9 a.m. press conference from the state EOC in Tallahassee.
“This is a very large storm, so you’re going to see tropical weather that’s going to extend hundreds of miles away from the center of the storm,” he said.
But even though landfall will be in North Florida, Gulf Coast cities including Sarasota and Tampa are not out of danger.
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“Because it’s such a big storm, it’s churning a lot of water, and so you’re going to see surge all up and down the west coast of Florida,” he said. “The water is going to rise, and that is going to create hazards as well. So just because you’re outside the cone, and I think a lot of those parts on the west coast of Florida are probably outside the cone, that does not mean that you’re not going to see significant impacts.”
DeSantis addressed how hard of a hit the state’s capital city could take if the course remains on track.
“If you look at the track that we were talking about last night, that was a track that we have not seen of that magnitude hit Tallahassee in anybody’s lifetime, and if that were to happen, there is just going to be a lot of debris,” he said. “It is going to push down a lot of trees and it will cause significant damage.”
Any shift in the storm’s path farther east, though, will spare Tallahassee some of the more devastating winds.
“We always prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” he said. “You have seen the models nudge it more to the east, and if you’re on the west side of the storm, the amount of damage is just less than if you’re on the east side of the storm.”
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has been responding to 1,100 requests from counties with provision of requests such as generators and high-water vehicles.
Also, the state will have 30,000 linemen staged to respond to expected power outages after the storm passes.
“The storm, it’s coming,” he said. “We’re already seeing some effects in the southern part of the state. We’re going to continue to see conditions deteriorate throughout the rest of the day, and we are anticipating a landfall as likely a major hurricane sometime this evening.”
As of noon, the NWS in Melbourne said Vero Beach had seen a 59 mph wind gust while wind gusts of 43 mph were recorded at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, 41 mph at Daytona Beach International Airport, 38 at Melbourne International Airport and 37 mph at Orlando International Airport.
Mesmerizing imagery of Hurricane Helene today as lightning spirals in its outer bands. pic.twitter.com/GGty1GmniQ
— CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) September 26, 2024
On Wednesday, he said mandatory evacuation orders were in place for some parts of 16 counties.
“This thing’s going to be whipping through,” he said. “It’s going to cause a lot of churn, and is going to drive that water and so it is going to be a significant water event. … Remember, you hide from wind, but you run from the water.”
The breadth of the storm has already prompted tropical storm warnings to extend to the entirety of Florida’s east coast and into Georgia on top of Florida’s Gulf Coast and Panhandle hurricane warnings and watches.
And several coastal counties have ordered evacuations as storm surge was a threat from southwest Florida up to the Panhandle including up to 20 feet in the Big Bend, up to 8 feet in Tampa Bay and 5 feet in Charlotte Harbor.
“It is going to be a big storm, and by big I mean not intensity, I mean size,” said NHC Deputy Director Jaime Rhome. “And big storms cause big problems. And that’s one of the take-home messages that I need you to understand.”
Hurricane Helene live webcams: Watch impact on Florida’s coast
Helene was forecast to drop 6-12 inches of rain with some areas getting up to 20 inches across the southeast United States.
“This rainfall will likely result in areas of considerable flash and urban flooding, with areas of significant river flooding,” forecasters said. “Landslides are possible in areas of steep terrain in the southern Appalachians.”
Helene formed from Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine as a tropical storm on Tuesday morning, then picked up steam developing into a hurricane off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday morning before entering the Gulf of Mexico.
DeSantis spoke Wednesday morning from TECO Energy’s staging area in Tampa as one of the areas thousands of linemen are preparing to respond to the storm.
DeSantis urged residents to listen to local evacuation orders, and avoid the tragedy seen in 2022’s Hurricane Ian that killed 149 people in Florida, most of whom were caught in major storm surge in southwest Florida.
“The field is so big with the winds and it’s going to churn up a lot of surge that you’re likely to see something significant, particularly in the barrier islands and those low lying areas,” he said. “So we always say you can hide from the wind, especially with Florida structures that have been built in modern times, but you run from the water, because if that water really does come crashing in, it’s not a lot you can do about it at that point.”
DeSantis earlier this week issued a pair of state of emergency orders covering 61 of Florida’s 67 counties. President Biden approved federal disaster assistance that authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts for 28 of those counties. DeSantis said he would revisit their request to see if the federal order can be expanded, which would help refund preparations some of the cities and counties in effected areas have to make.
DeSantis took the opportunity to remind people without power who are using generators to keep them out of the house, because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
He also urged people to stay off the roads as the storm comes in, and in the aftermath.
“You do not want to be on the road when you have major, major wind and rain that is happening,” he said. “We typically will see some fatalities every year for people that are out and about past time when it would be safe to do so.”
There are 3,500 Florida National Guard soldiers ready to assist with post-storm assistance, which can be surged to 5,500 if necessary. The state has also mobilized more than 250 from the Florida State Guard as well as personnel from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, county sheriffs and city police forces.
“These resources are being added by the minute, so you’re going to continue to have more linemen brought in. You’re going to continue to have more beef added to these staging areas,” DeSantis said on Tuesday.
More rainfall for the Florida peninsula could follow over the weekend after the system has passed through, which is a flooding concern with ground that may have just been deeply saturated already, he said.
Also late Wednesday, the NHC said Tropical Storm Isaac formed in the north Atlantic, which grew into Hurricane Isaac by Friday morning.
As of 5 a.m. Friday, the system was located about 1,175 miles west of the Azores and 980 miles east-northeast of Bermuda with 75 mph sustained winds moving east at 12 mph.
“A gradual turn to the east-northeast is expected over the next several days,” forecasters said. “Additional strengthening is expected during the next day or so followed by gradual weakening by the end of this weekend.”
Hurricane-force winds extend out 15 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center, but for now it is no threat to land.
The NHC was tracking two more systems in the Atlantic basin with a chance to become a tropical depression or storm.
As of the NHC’s 2 a.m. tropical outlook Friday, the most likely was a broad low-pressure system associated with a tropical wave located about halfway between the Cape Verde Islands and the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean that have well organized shower and thunderstorm activity.
“Environmental conditions are currently conducive for further development and a tropical depression or storm could form at any time today while the system moves generally westward to west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph. The system is then forecast to slow down and turn
north-northwestward by this weekend,” forecasters said.
It’s forecast to slow down and turn north-northwestward late Friday and Saturday, and is no threat to land.
The NHC gives it a 90% chance to develop in the next two days and 90% in the next seven.
The next name on the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season list is Joyce.
New on Thursday, the NHC began forecasting an area of low pressure to form over the western Caribbean by the middle of next week.
“Environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for slow development thereafter, while the system moves generally northwestward, potentially entering the Gulf of Mexico by the end of next week,” forecasters said.
The NHC gives it a 30% chance of development in the next seven days.
Hurricane season runs from June 1-Nov. 30, with the height of hurricane development running from mid-August into October.
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