Category 4 Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday night, bringing with it deadly winds of 140mph and a “catastrophic” storm surge.
Helene made landfall at 11.10pm ET at Perry, Florida, just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River, the National Hurricane Center said in an update.
“This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the National Hurricane Center stated an hour before the storm roared ashore. “Persons should not leave their shelters and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions.”
A state of emergency was declared in 61 of Florida’s 67 counties with several placed under evacuation orders.
The NHC warned that a catastrophic and deadly storm surge reaching as high as 20 feet will hit parts of the Big Bend coast, with the “danger of life-threatening storm surge” across the whole of the western coast of the Florida peninsula.
“Damaging and life-threatening hurricane-force winds” are forecast to move inland into parts of northern Florida and Southern Georgia late Thursday and Thursday night, the NHC warned.
Strong wind gusts are also expected to reach parts of northern Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
After landfall, Hurricane Helene is expected to slow down and turn north, advancing over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and into the weekend.
This will be the fourth hurricane to make landfall in the US this year, coming just over a month after Storm Debby slammed into the Sunshine State