Category 4 Hurricane Helene HITS Florida – Residents Receive Warning

Daily Report September 27,2024

Hurricane Helene made a powerful landfall in Florida late Thursday night, arriving as a Category 4 storm that is expected to cause widespread destruction across the state. With torrential rain, an “unsurvivable” storm surge, and dangerous winds, the storm is one of the most intense to ever hit the Gulf of Mexico. According to the National Hurricane Center, Helene’s sustained winds reached 140 mph as it battered Florida’s Big Bend area.

As of Friday morning, over 2.1 million people across the Southeast were without power. In Florida alone, 1.25 million were impacted by outages, while Georgia and South Carolina saw 644,000 and 200,000 outages, respectively, according to power outage.us.

The storm officially made landfall at 11:10 p.m. in Florida’s Big Bend, just east of the Aucilla River, roughly 10 miles west-southwest of Perry. Though it weakened into a tropical storm as it moved into Georgia, it continued to carry winds of up to 70 mph, forecasters reported.

Tragically, Helene claimed lives even before it fully hit. A driver in Ybor City, near Tampa Bay, was killed when a sign collapsed onto their vehicle, Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed. In Georgia, two more lives were lost due to a possible tornado from Helene’s outer bands.

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Storm surge warnings remain severe, with experts predicting up to 20 feet of “unsurvivable” surge across parts of the Florida Panhandle. Additionally, rescue teams in Hillsborough County, Florida, saved three people and a dog from floodwaters as the storm tore through the region on Thursday.

Helene is forecasted to bring 6 to 12 inches of rain, which could lead to life-threatening flash floods and river flooding throughout Florida and surrounding areas. The Southeast faces a particularly high risk of excessive rainfall, with two separate zones reaching a rare level 4 on the weather service’s 4-point scale.

Florida has declared a state of emergency in 61 of its 67 counties, with mandatory evacuation orders in place for several areas. Extreme winds are expected to extend along Florida’s I-95 corridor and into Tennessee, likely causing widespread damage and additional power outages.

As the storm continues, Helene is expected to move northward and gradually slow over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday. Despite some weakening, the fast-moving storm is still expected to produce powerful gusts that could cause significant damage well inland, including in the Appalachian region.

Tornado warnings have been issued across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina as Helene’s outer bands sweep across the region. High tides have already brought water over seawalls in places like Marco Island, Florida, where docks and properties are experiencing significant flooding.

Meteorologists are noting that Hurricane Helene’s size is unprecedented, with Fox Weather’s Cody Braud stating, “This one is essentially double, maybe close to almost three times as large as a normal storm we see move through the Gulf. It will likely break all the records we have for the size of hurricanes in the modern era.”

Helene first formed Tuesday in the Caribbean and continued to intensify as it moved across the warm waters of the Gulf. Satellite images captured the development of a well-defined eye on Thursday, signaling the storm’s rapid strengthening.

Florida officials have mobilized 3,500 National Guard soldiers, 200 Florida Highway Patrol troopers, and 550 generators to prepare for the storm’s aftermath. Additionally, 40 large pumps have been dispatched by the Florida Department of Transportation to assist with flood management.

Before reaching Florida, Helene also impacted Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where it caused severe flooding and damage as it brushed past Cancun. The storm led to further power outages in Cuba and resulted in the closure of major airports in Tampa, Tallahassee, and Clearwater. Flight disruptions have extended to Sarasota, Fort Myers, and even Atlanta, as well as several other major hubs across the Southeast.

Helene marks the eighth named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecasted an above-average season due to unusually warm ocean temperatures.