Hurricane Helene Tracker: One dead as catastrophic Category 4 storm makes landfall in Florida

More than 12 million people, from Florida and Georgia to Alabama and South Carolina, are part of a high-risk area where heavy rains are expected to cause disruption and flooding.

“Catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding is likely for portions of the southeastern and southern Appalachians from Helene,” the National Weather Service said.

“Most flood deaths occur in vehicles, turn around, don’t drown!”

Areas most at risk include parts of North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.

Major cities like Asheville, Charlotte and Greenville are at risk of 6 to 12 inches of rainfall, and isolated areas could see as much as 20 inches.

Hurricane Helene is believed to be one of the worst storms to hit the United States.

Helene's size is massive compared to previous hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. Officials warned of “catastrophic” and “unsurvivable” conditions ahead of the storm’s arrival.

The storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and is expected to continue producing hurricane-force winds as it moves inland.

Helene quickly developed from a category one storm to a catastrophic category four hurricane, a common occurrence in recent years as ocean temperatures continued to be warmer than usual.

“Helene moves over very warm water with a temperature of at least 80 degrees and reaches depths of 300 to 400 feet below the surface. This thermal energy will help Helene explode in intensity this afternoon and evening,” AccuWeather senior hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said Thursday before landfall.

Storms are now 25 percent more likely to be classified as major hurricanes than they were 40 years ago because hot water fuels storms.

According to forecasters, Hurricane Helene is now moving north into the state of Georgia after making landfall in Florida.

The eyewall – the part of the storm under which the fastest winds blow – is now moving into south Georgia, the National Hurricane Center said in its update at 1 a.m. ET (6 a.m. BST).

The storm began to weaken slightly, the NHC said in its update, but was expected to remain a hurricane.

“Please do not leave your shelter and remain in place while these life-threatening conditions pass,” the update said.

It said Helene “continues to produce catastrophic winds”.

Helene is expected to remain a full hurricane as it rolls through the Macon, Georgia, area on Friday, forecasters said.

It could bring 12 inches (30.5 cm) or more of rain, potentially destroying the state's cotton and pecan plantations, which are in the middle of the harvest season.

“The current forecast for Hurricane Helene indicates that this storm will affect every part of our state,” said Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

After making landfall on the Florida coast, Helene is expected to advance more slowly over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday, the NHC said.

Here is the path of the storm:

At least one person has died in Florida after a Category 4 storm made landfall and caused severe flooding.

The person's identity and cause were not released, but in a news conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis said it happened on Interstate 4 near the Tampa area.

He urged people not to travel as “roads can be dangerous” and it was “very, very dangerous”.

Mr. DeSantis warned that there would likely be “additional” fatalities in the state as the storm progressed.

“When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we will wake up in a state where there will most likely have been additional deaths,” he said. “And certainly there will be some loss of property.”

He notes that emergency responders do not yet know the extent of the impact because it is currently nighttime in Florida.

“We don’t get the full picture yet,” he says.

The Florida Highway Patrol in Tampa announced Thursday afternoon that it was closing the Sunshine Skyway Bridge as conditions in the area continued to deteriorate.

“As weather conditions continue to deteriorate and wind gusts have reached 60 mph, FHP is closing the #Skyway,” the patrol wrote on X.

“Motorists are asked to seek alternative routes, avoid driving through flooded roads and stay off area roads unless absolutely necessary.”

Strong, damaging winds and rainfall amounts of up to 12 inches (30 cm) and isolated amounts of 20 inches (50 cm) are expected across the southern Appalachians.

“This rainfall is likely to result in catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding, as well as significant river flooding. Numerous significant landslides are expected in the steep terrain of the southern Appalachians,” the National Hurricane Center warned.

The National Weather Service office in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, warned of “one of the most significant weather events to occur in the western portions of the region in modern times.”

“Record floods are predicted and compared to the 1916 floods in the Asheville area,” it said.

Category 4 Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region Thursday evening, bringing deadly winds of 140 miles per hour and a “catastrophic” storm surge.

Poweroutage.us now reports that over a million people are without power.