Hurricane Helene tracker: Florida braces for 'catastrophic' storm surge as Category 4 storm expected to make landfall today

Helene is expected to become a major hurricane, possibly Category 4, when it reaches Florida's Big Bend coast.

According to the latest announcement from the National Hurricane Center, the storm is expected to make landfall sometime Thursday evening.

Tropical storm-force winds may occur in parts of Florida's Gulf Coast beginning in the early hours of Thursday morning.

After making landfall, the hurricane is expected to turn northwest and decrease its speed as it moves across the Tennessee Valley on Friday and into the evening hours.

A storm surge occurs when strong winds push sea water onto the coast, causing an abnormal rise in water levels.

Residents of coastal areas may experience widespread flooding as heavy rains and large waves caused by wind cause the water masses to increase even further.

Sea level change is measured by the height at which the water level is above the normally predicted astronomical high tide.

The National Hurricane Center has declared a “life-threatening situation” and expects a storm surge of more than 2.7 meters in height along large parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The stretch between the Carrabelle and Suwannee Rivers in Florida is expected to experience a storm surge of up to 20 feet, according to the NHC's latest briefing.

Check out the National Weather Service chart below:

Florida Emergency Management Chief Kevin Guthrie warned that Helene's impacts would be far-reaching and residents should be cautious even if they think they are far from the storm.

“Tropical storm winds can be up to 250 miles from the center,” Guthrie said at a press conference on Wednesday morning

“Tornadoes are likely and strong winds, life-threatening storm surges and flooding cannot be ruled out,” he added.

Guthrie urged residents to keep their devices turned on to receive emergency alerts and have an evacuation plan ready.

Two years after Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Helene, expected to strengthen to Category 4, will hit Florida.

Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida, in September 2022. Meanwhile, Helene is expected to make landfall a little further north near the Big Bend region of Florida.

Hurricane Ian is the costliest hurricane to ever hit Florida and the third costliest in U.S. history.

The agency also provided $2.3 billion to reimburse state, local and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations for storm-related costs.

Hurricane Helene will cause “unprecedented” damage in parts of the state.

“We're going to have countless downed trees. There's going to be building damage. We're going to have power outages,” Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey said Wednesday. “Yes, if our community stays centrally in Helene's path as predicted, we're going to see unprecedented damage like we've never seen before.”

A “catastrophic” storm surge and flooding could make some areas of Tallahassee and the surrounding region “uninhabitable” for weeks or months, the National Weather Service said.

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey told residents that if Hurricane Helene continues on its current path, it could cause “unprecedented damage” to the Florida city.

“We're going to have countless downed trees. We're going to have building damage. We're going to have power outages,” Dailey said Wednesday. “Yes, if our community stays centrally in Helene's path as predicted, we're going to see unprecedented damage like we've never seen before.”

The storm could strengthen to Category 4 when it makes landfall in Florida late Thursday.