Hurricane Helene has intensified and is now a major Category 3 hurricane with winds up to 120 mph as it continues on a path that will bring the monster storm into Florida’s Big Bend region with a potentially "unsurvivable" 20-foot storm surge, catastrophic hurricane-force winds and flooding rain later on Thursday night or early Friday morning. Nearly the entire state of Florida is under some sort of tropical weather alert, with Tropical Storm Warnings extending hundreds of miles inland into Georgia and the Carolinas, including Atlanta. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says that because of Hurricane Helene’s massive size, there is a significant risk of a life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula, as well as Florida’s Big Bend region. "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," the NHC warned. The highest inundation, with as much as 20 feet of storm surge flooding, is expected from Carrabelle to the Suwannee River in Florida, with other locations like Apalachicola and Chassahowitzka forecast to see 10-15 feet of storm surge. Storm surge is already becoming a problem for Southwest Florida ahead of Helene's landfall. St. Petersburg and Naples have already reported a storm surge of 2-3 feet, and Hurricane Helene is still more than 200 miles away from the Florida Gulf Coast. Tampa Bay is expected to see a storm surge of 5-8 feet. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee issued a dire warning about the potentially deadly storm surge on Thursday morning. "There is increasing confidence of catastrophic and potentially unsurvivable storm surge for Apalachee Bay," the NWS said. "Storm surge may begin to arrive as early as (Thursday) afternoon ahead of the strongest winds, building through landfall." NHC Director Dr. Michael Brennan joined FOX Weather on Thursday and urged residents to listen to officials and leave immediately if told to do so. "The impacts of this storm are on an enormous scale and are going to extend over multiple states all the way up into the Carolinas and southern Appalachians – the storm surge, the hurricane and tropical storm force winds and the potential for catastrophic rainfall," Brennan said. Brennan brought up Hurricane Michael in 2018 when talking about how deadly and dangerous a storm surge can be. "When Hurricane Michael hit Mexico Beach in 2018, there were people who waited until that last minute, and people drowned in their cars trying to get away because the water comes up so fast that you cannot get out," Brennan noted. "That's why you should follow those evacuation orders you're given by your local officials and get out ahead of the storm. Much of these areas, you still have time, but that time is rapidly running out." Earlier this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency for 61 of the state’s 67 counties to help agencies prepare for the storm. Shelters have also been opened for evacuated Florida residents, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management said that as of Wednesday night, about 500 people were seeking safety in a shelter. And it wasn’t only residents who have been busy preparing – travel is also being impacted. Subscribe to LiveNOW from FOX! https://www.youtube.com/livenowfox?sub_confirmation=1 Where to watch LiveNOW from FOX: https://www.livenowfox.com/ Follow us @LiveNOWFOX on Twitter: https://twitter.com/livenowfox Raw and unfiltered. Watch a non-stop stream of breaking news, live events and stories across the nation. Limited commentary. No opinion. Experience LiveNOW from FOX.

• published: 26 Sep 2024
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