Hurricane Helene live updates: Storm now a dangerous Category 4 as it nears Florida

The Palma Sola Causeway is closed, police in Bradenton, Florida said.

The police department cited "water over road, loose sailboat, and multiple trees down," which could be seen in a video posted to X.

The causeway connects the Bradenton area to Ana Maria Island. Officials in Manatee County said rescue units would be unable to respond to the island and Longboat Key due to "rising surge on the gulf islands of 3-5 feet."

Residents should call 911 and rescuers will respond when it is safe to do so, officials said.

Hurricane Helene’s anticipated fast speed once it hits land has prompted hurricane and tropical storm warnings for all of Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp warned it “will be a statewide event.”

“For the next several days, keep devices charged with the sound on, be mindful of weather alerts and updates, and follow the links below for up-to-date emergency information,” Kemp said today on X.

The hurricane, currently a Category 4, is forecast to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, but it will move so fast that there is a risk to a large part of the Southeast, the National Hurricane Center said.

NASA is using tracking Hurricane Helene as it approaches Florida from the International Space Station cameras. It is expected to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane.

Tallahassee is prepared for what Hurricane Helene might bring, but if a city is hit directly by a Category 4 storm, "you're going to have damage," Mayor John Dailey said on NBC News NOW.

The city is less concerned with threatening storm surges because it's inland, and it expects above-average rainfall, but the biggest threat is the city's towering oak trees, Dailey said.

"Trees, wind and power lines do not mix," Dailey said, adding that he knows there's going to be "serious damage."

"We’re prepared; we'll see what Mother Nature brings us," he said.

He asked residents to "stay inside, hunker down and be safe."

"It's going to be a marathon, not a sprint, for recovery, but we're going to make it," Dailey said.

Hundreds of thousands of customers were without power in Florida at 8:22 p.m. as Category 4 Hurricane Helene approaches the state’s Big Bend region.

About 455,100 homes and businesses were without power statewide, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us.

Helene's size meant its effects have been felt far from the center of the storm, currently moving north in the Gulf of Mexico, and almost the entire state was under tropical storm or hurricane warnings.

Florida State graduate student Layne Griffith is among the 700 students from the university who will be riding out Hurricane Helene in a shelter.

She's got her cat with her as she awaits the dangerous Category 4 storm to make landfall later tonight.

A catastrophic storm surge is expected after Hurricane Helene’s landfall in Florida, with flooding reaching up to 20 feet in some places.

NBC News’ Bill Karins uses virtual reality to illustrate the potential impact of the storm surge.

The center of Category 4 Hurricane Helene was around 115 miles south of Tallahassee at 8 p.m. as it continued its path toward the Big Bend region of the state.

The storm, which had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, was around 80 miles west-southwest of Cedar Key and was moving north-northeast at 23 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory tonight.

The agency is calling the hurricane “extremely dangerous” with catastrophic storm surge and life-threatening winds.

With enormous Hurricane Helene passing by the city, residents of Tampa were told it’s too late to evacuate, and to stay put as the weather continues to worsen.

“The time to evacuate has most likely come to an end as the weather continues to deteriorate,” Harry Cohen, District 1 County Commissioner, said at a news briefing. “So now is a time to shelter in place.”

Treasure Island, which is near Tampa, said its first responders could no longer do rescues amid the severe weather caused by Helene, which at 8 p.m. was northwest of the city in the Gulf of Mexico and traveling north.

“We are having those lower bands that are coming around, that are pulling the water into Tampa Bay,” Mayor Jane Castor said on NBC News Now. “And so we are seeing flooding that we expect to increase.”

Hurricane Helene could continue to strengthen before the storm's center reaches Florida's coast in the next few hours, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 p.m. ET update.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, making it a Category 4 hurricane.

The hurricane center said the hurricane is expected to bring "catastrophic storm surge and life-threatening winds" to Florida's Big Bend region, where it is expected to make landfall tonight.

Helene is expected to weaken after it moves inland.

"But the fast forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States, including over the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians," the hurricane center said.

A couple who survived Hurricane Ian on Sanibel Island, near Cape Coral and Fort Myers, is taking shelter in their home as Category 4 Hurricane Helene passes.

The two said the island is “pure paradise” 99% of the time, and they are hopeful they will remain unharmed.

Nearly 358,000 customers were without power in Florida as Hurricane Helene churned in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of landfall.

As of 7:47 p.m. ET, electricity was out for about 93,00 customers in Pinellas County, 48,000 in Sarasota County and 47,000 in Hillsborough County, according to PowerOutage.us.

Treasure Island, a city in Pinellas County, said on X that its Fire Rescue Department is no longer able to respond to calls for service in the Sunset Beach neighborhood.

Video shared in the post showed water rushing down streets and around homes and buildings in the neighborhood earlier today.

The department "will be able to respond after conditions improve," it said.

Winds had been gusting to more than 60 mph in Treasure Island this afternoon, the city said on Facebook at 5:30 p.m. ET.

It said access to the barrier islands, including Treasure Island, would be closed at 6 p.m. ET.

"The storm surge is rising, and roads are flooding," the Facebook post said. "If you chose not to evacuate, make a plan to stay safe inside your home."

“It looks like people have largely followed the evacuation orders that were issued by the county commission,” Wakulla County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeffrey Yarbrough said on NBC News NOW.

Deputies have been going door to door in coastal areas in Wakulla County, which is in the Big Bend area, for the last 24 hours ensuring people in evacuation zones have left, he said.

“Based off what we’re seeing with activity on the roadways and things like that, it does look like a large portion of the community has evacuated out,” Yarbrough said.

Forecasts have called for storm surge of around 15 to 20 feet in the region, he said.

Wakulla County is south of Tallahassee on the Gulf Coast and is home to around 33,700 people.

With Hurricane Helene approaching Florida’s coast, around 2.8 million people were under hurricane warnings and more than 37.4 million people were under tropical storm warnings, according to the National Weather Service.

Helene strengthened today into a Category 4 storm and is forecast to make landfall along Florida’s Big Bend region later tonight.

It had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, and its center was around 110 miles west of Tampa, the National Hurricane Center said in a 7 p.m. ET update. The storm is moving north-northeast at 23 mph.

Tropical storm warnings covered a huge area and extended all the way to parts of North Carolina.

As Helene continued to churn toward Florida, Tommy McNeal was preparing his furniture store in Valdosta, Georgia, which is in the direct path of the hurricane.

The furniture store has been in McNeal's family for 65 years, since his grandfather opened it in 1958, and he said he intends to pass it down to his grandchildren.

McNeal said the store is in the lowest point of downtown Valdosta, a city about 71 miles northeast of Tallahassee, but has never faced water damage.

With help from his grandkids — ages 13 and 6 — McNeal was moving furniture toward the center of the store to prevent it's being affected by strong winds, and he was putting plastic on the windows and sandbags at the door.

"It's all we can really do," he said, acknowledging you "can't stop the wind."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the forecast had been for landfall in the early evening, but “now it looks like it will be closer to 11 p.m.”

Hurricane Helene, now a Category 4 storm, is forecast to make landfall along the Big Bend region of Florida tonight, the National Hurricane Center said.

DeSantis said at a news conference that the models have shifted a little to the east.

“I think you’re looking at anywhere from that Wakulla-Jefferson County line over to Taylor County,” he said. “Most of the data that we have does have a Taylor County landfall.”

Taylor County includes the city of Perry and the communities of Fish Creek, Athena, Shady Grove and Steinhatchee.

DeSantis said at a 5 p.m. news conference that people who have not heeded evacuation orders still have time to leave.

Amber Hardin rushed to the shelter at Leon High School as soon as it opened yesterday afternoon to make sure she and her dog would have a safe and dry place to stay.

Hardin, who moved to Tallahassee three years ago, has been living in her car after she was evicted from an apartment.

“I did not take the chance that this was going to fill up,” she said, adding she was glad she came early and was able to secure a spot for herself and her beloved dog, 2-year-old Ducky. “This is the first time that I’ve been not in a safe structure for one of these.”

Hardin said she was worried about the possibility of tornadoes and wanted to ride out the storm in the high school auditorium, where other evacuees laid in cots surrounded by their belongings.

“At least we’re safe,” she said.

Grant Keel said he and his partner were looking for hotels but found no vacancies within two hours of their home and decided to go to a shelter.

“This one just seems like the path is worse for us,” he said.

About 260,000 customers were without power in Florida ahead of Hurricane Helene's expected landfall, according to PowerOutage.us.

A weather station near the entrance to Tampa Bay measured sustained winds of 50 mph and a gust of 69 mph, the National Hurricane Center said at 6 p.m. ET.

Tampa Bay is in Hillsborough County, which had about 41,100 customers without electricity.

As of 6:20 p.m. ET, the storm was about 120 miles west of Tampa.

As Hurricane Helene approaches Florida’s Big Bend region, officials in Hernando County warned those who have stayed behind in defiance of evacuation orders to leave now.

“If you haven’t evacuated, please heed our warnings and do the evacuations now,” said David DeCarlo, director of the Hernando County Department of Emergency Management.

The area could get 8 to 12 feet of storm surge, he said. Hernando County is on Florida’s Gulf Coast, north of Tampa.

The city of St. Petersburg on Florida’s Gulf Coast expects to get a storm surge of around 8 feet as Hurricane Helene passes, and authorities have already gotten calls for high-water rescues, the mayor said.

Mayor Ken Welch called the anticipated level of storm surge unprecedented and said it should peak around midnight.

There is a chance that some residents may lose water and be unable to take showers or flush toilets if the storm surge forces a northeast water reclamation facility to be shut down, he said.

“If the storm surge rises above 7 feet at that facility, which is an unprecedented amount of storm surge, we’ll have to make a decision to turn the plant off to ensure we can resume water service after the storm,” Welch said at a 5:30 p.m. briefing.

At 5 p.m. the center of Helene, which has tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 310 miles, was 120 miles west of Tampa and was moving north, forecasters said.

Helene strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane ahead of its anticipated landfall along Florida's Big Bend, the National Hurricane Center said in a 6:20 p.m. ET update.

The storm's maximum sustained winds have increased to 130 mph, the wind speed that qualifies a hurricane as a Category 4.

Helene was about 120 miles west of Tampa and 165 miles south of Tallahassee. It was moving north-northeast at 23 mph.

Traffic camera video from the Florida Highway Patrol showed large waves lapping up against the Howard Frankland Bridge, which stretches across Old Tampa Bay.

Both that bridge and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which connects St. Petersburg to Manatee County, are closed because of high winds and storm surge.

The Courtney Campbell Causeway was also closed, it said.

Residents under evacuation orders were taking shelter at Fairview Middle School in Tallahassee, fearing what they could be coming home to after Helene strikes the area as a major hurricane tonight.

Lillie Edwards, 60, left her home in coastal Wakulla County with her husband and her teenage grandsons after the entire county was placed under mandatory evacuation.

“I’m praying that when we get back that our home is still there,” Edwards said.

Edwards is no stranger to how dangerous storms can be in her area.

During Hurricane Michael in 2018, which made landfall as a Category 5 storm, waters reached up to 6 feet and flooded her yard and street to the point where “we had to use a boat to get out,” she said.

Vice President Kamala Harris urged people today to take Hurricane Helene “very seriously” as the Category 3 storm heads toward Florida.

“The president and I, of course, are monitoring the case and the situation closely, and we urge everyone who is watching at this very moment to take this storm very seriously and please follow the guidance of your local officials,” Harris told reporters. “President Biden and I, of course, will continue to work closely with state and local officials to ensure that everyone is safe and to protect communities before, during and after the storm.”

At 5 p.m. ET, Hurricane Helene had sustained winds of 125 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters warned Helene was likely to strengthen into a Category 4 storm before it makes landfall tonight in Florida’s Big Bend.

Hurricane Helene will bring damaging winds and a “catastrophic storm surge” to Florida’s Big Bend this evening, forecasters said.

The Category 3 hurricane was 130 miles west of Tampa and about 175 miles south of Tallahassee, Florida, as of a 5 p.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center.

Helene recorded maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, and was tracking north-northeast at 23 mph, the hurricane center said.

Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida Big Bend this evening. The hurricane is expected to gain strength, and “will likely be an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane at landfall,” the hurricane center said.

Helene’s damaging winds, especially in gusts, are expected to penetrate well inland, across the southeastern region of the country including over the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians, forecasters said.

The iconic Columbia Restaurant in Tampa, which bills itself as Florida's "Oldest Restaurant," announced Thursday it was shutting down "temporarily" due to Hurricane Helene.

The Cuban eatery, which has anchored the lively Ybor City neighborhood since 1905, said on its website it was closing its doors "out of concern for our staff and guests as Helene approaches."

The restaurant also closed it's spinoff in Sarasota on Thursday, a day after it shuttered its namesake restaurant on Clearwater Beach and its cafe at the Tampa Bay History Center.

All locations are expected to reopen on Friday morning, the company said on its website.

Founded by a Cuban immigrant named Casimiro Hernandez Sr., the restaurant is run by his descendants. The last time it closed due to a storm was in 2022 when Hurricane Ian roared into the region.

A Florida sheriff is warning hundreds of residents that they are putting their lives at risk if they don’t evacuate low-lying areas because the region could see a historic 20-foot storm surge from Hurricane Helene.

Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett told NBC News today the residents who are refusing to evacuate low-lying areas by the coastline, about 200 people, could very well die. 

“If you’re just bound and determined to stay and not get out of harm’s way, go and take a black magic marker, write your name, your Social Security number, everything on your arm and we can identify you. I don’t like telling people that, but it is going on,” Padgett said.

“That’s a death threat because you’re looking at, they’re calling for 18- or 20-foot storm surge," he continued. "We’ve never had a storm surge like this in this county. These old houses, some of them on this coast, have been there for years and years and years, and they’re just not going to stand up to it. The water — you can kind of hide from the wind — but you can’t hide from that water.”

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve never been worried about a storm," Padgett said. "I am worried about this storm.”

Taylor County is in northern Florida near the Big Bend region.

The county is also about 60 miles south of Leon County, where Tallahassee is and where Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall tonight.

Jon Turner, owner of The Salty Donkey in Panacea, near Tallahassee, was seen packing up his restaurant this afternoon amid pounding rain and howling wind.

“We’re just going to prepare for the worst, obviously, and hope for the best, and pray for the best,” Turner told NBC News.  

“I’ve been here three months. I love this place, I love this community,” he said, noting the restaurant had also been damaged in Hurricane Michael in 2018. “If it tears up, we’ll rebuild and try again.”

During Michael, he said, water was “about 4 feet deep, maybe 5.”

“It’s a tough situation for us. We want everybody to get out, be safe, do what they need to do to be safe,” Turner said. He's been preparing for days, removing all his kitchen equipment and storing perishables in a refrigerator trailer donated by a family member.

This upcoming weekend was “supposed to be a big money weekend for us” with a local blue crab festival, Turner said.

“We had bands booked Friday, Saturday, Sunday," he said. "As a new restaurant owner these are the weekends that get you through the winter months … Obviously we keep on, do the best we can to keep going.”

Hurricane Helene is still hundreds of miles from Florida, but it's effects are already being felt in and around Tampa where bridges connecting the city to Pinellas County have been swamped all day.

Footage obtained by the Tampa Bay Times show waves churned up by the storm splashing over the guardrails and onto the Howard Frankland Bridge, turning the morning commute into a soggy slog.

As of 3 p.m. ET, drivers heading east or west were still able to cross that bridge as well as the Gandy Bridge and the Courtney Campbell Causeway, the newspaper reported.

More than 100,000 customers were without power in Florida as Hurricane Helene made its way toward landfall this afternoon.

As of shortly before 3:15 p.m., 107,076 customers were without power, according to a power outage map of the state. The majority of the impact occurred in South Florida along its west coast and east coast. 

Some of the counties that have the most customers without power include Miami-Dade, with 16,552; Sarasota, with 15,896; Collier, with 12,961; Charlotte, with 12,191 and Lee with 10,333. 

Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall near Tallahassee this evening.

Hurricane Helene is expected to weaken after it makes landfall, but the storm’s impacts will still be significant as it moves inland.

Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, said there is the potential for “catastrophic flash flooding” in parts of the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia.

The storm is expected to dump substantial rain over Atlanta and as it passes into northeastern Georgia, South Carolina and western North Carolina, raising the risk of “catastrophic and life-threatening” flooding.

“As the tropical moisture associated with Helene is pushed up the southeastward-facing mountains of the southern Appalachians, we can see widespread rainfall totals 6 to 12 inches — some isolated areas as high as 18 inches — in this region,” Brennan said. “And that’s going to create the potential for very significant flash flooding.”

The southern Appalachians, in particular, will also be at risk for landslides, he added.

Hurricane Helene is expected to strengthen before making landfall in Florida tonight. Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey joins José Díaz-Balart, saying his city is “preparing for the worst.”

Helene has strengthened into a Category 3 major hurricane.

Air Force hurricane hunters found the maximum sustained winds have increased to 120 mph, the National Hurricane Center said around 2:30 p.m. ET. A Category 3 hurricane has wind speeds ranging from 111 to 129 mph. 

The NHC called the storm ‘dangerous’ and said further strengthening is expected before Helene makes landfall in the Big Bend this evening.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which connects Pinellas County to Manatee County in the Lower Tampa Bay, was closed this afternoon by the Florida Highway Patrol. 

The agency cited deteriorating weather conditions and 60 mph wind gusts for the closure. 

“Motorists are requested to seek alternate routes, do not drive through flooded roads & unless absolutely necessary stay off area roadways,” FHP said.

Cameras on the exterior of the International Space Station captured jaw-dropping views of Hurricane Helene from space, showing the storm’s eye and huge wall of clouds.

The space station passed near, but not directly overhead, of Helene and beamed back footage from an altitude of 260 miles above Earth.

Helene is nearly a major hurricane, with 110 mph maximum sustained winds. 

A Category 3 hurricane has winds ranging from 111-129 mph. Category 3 and higher are considered major hurricanes because of their potential for damage and loss of life.

It’s now 195 miles southwest of Tampa, moving northeast at 16 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 2 p.m. advisory.

Hurricane Helene left flooded streets, empty beaches, downed trees and travel disruption after it swept past Cancun, Mexico, on its way to Florida.

FEMA Director Deanne Criswell said this afternoon that forecasts suggest Hurricane Helene will make a “dead-on hit to Tallahassee.”

She reminded people in the path of Hurricane Helene that they should not underestimate the storm’s threats. “This is going to be a multistate event with the potential for significant impacts from Florida all the way to Tennessee,” Criswell said in a White House briefing.

Criswell outlined FEMA’s efforts to prepare for the storm, which include deploying resources, search and rescue teams, and other personnel to assist with disaster preparedness and response across Florida and Georgia.

She added that President Joe Biden has directed her to travel to affected areas tomorrow to assess the damage. Criswell urged people to take the storm seriously and heed warnings that are in place.

“You need to listen to your local officials,” she said. “If they tell you to evacuate, please do so. And if they tell you to shelter in place, then that’s what you should do. They’re going to give you the best information that you can do for your specific situation. Those decisions can save lives.”

The short answer: They are catastrophic.

Hurricanes are measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which rates storms from 1 to 5 based on their wind speed, where 5 is the strongest and most devastating. Hurricane Helene is currently a Category 2 storm, with wind speeds of 100 mph.

The National Hurricane Center forecasts that Hurricane Helene would reach wind speeds of 115 mph, which would make it a Category 3 storm.

At Category 3, you can expect well-built homes to incur major damage, trees to be snapped or uprooted, and electricity and water to be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes.

But it is expected to strengthen further, and if Helene is upgraded to a Category 4 storm, this would mean "a high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse," the NHC says.

Things could be so bad that the affected areas would be without power and uninhabitable for months.

Tornado warnings have been issued and flash flooding is already being seen ahead of Hurricane Helene.

The storm is expected to deliver winds topping 125 mph and a potentially deadly storm surge at landfall.

Florida State University students who live off campus sought shelter at their school this morning, ahead of Hurricane Helene’s expected landfall later today as a destructive Category 3 or 4 storm.

FSU opened a refuge facility for off-campus students at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center this morning, where students with backpacks, white garbage bags full of belongings, suitcases and pillows began to stream in as rain fell. 

“I was going to stay at my apartment, but as soon as it turned into Category 4, I decided to come over here,” Pranav Sahani, a senior who lives in an apartment in the area, told NBC News. “I’ve been in hurricanes in Florida before, but not a Category 4.” 

He brought a full backpack, blanket, food and “a bunch of video games” with him, he said.

Hurricane Helene is gaining speed as it charges toward Florida’s Big Bend region, with multiple “life-threatening” hazards expected over the next 12 to 24 hours, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.

In some of the hardest-hit spots on the west coast of Florida, storm surge could reach up to 20 feet, creating an “unsurvivable scenario” along those coastlines, Michael Brennan, director of the NHC, said in a live broadcast shortly after 11 a.m. ET.

Helene is currently about 255 miles southwest of Tampa and is moving north at around 14 mph.

“That speed is going to increase to over 20 mph by the time Helene makes landfall later this evening,” Brennan said.

Brennan said the hurricane will undergo “steady or rapid intensification” before making landfall, but added that substantial rainfall is already lashing parts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

Helene is now 255 miles southwest of Tampa, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, moving northeast at 14 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. advisory.

It’s forecast to make landfall this evening. Afterward, Helene is forecast to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley tomorrow and Saturday, the NHC said.

"Helene is a very large hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 345 miles," the weather service said.

CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. — Crews in Crawfordville, just south of Tallahassee, were seen this morning already repairing power lines amid pouring rain as Helene churned closer to the coast.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said this morning the state will have 30,000 linemen staged to restore power after the hurricane passes.

Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the running mate of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has urged anyone still in the areas expected to be affected most by storm surges in Florida and Georgia to leave.

"Say a prayer for our friends in Florida and Georgia who are bracing for what seems to be a very bad storm," he said on X this morning.

Vance cancelled two campaign events in Georgia today.

Flooding has already taken over Treasure Island, a barrier island in Pinellas County in the Gulf of Mexico.

The city shared video today showing streets inundated with floodwaters as Helene draws near.

A storm surge warning, tropical storm warning, hurricane watch, flood and tornado watch are in effect for the county, with 4 to 7 feet of storm surge inundation forecast across coastal areas of the county tonight. 

"Elevated coastal waters are forecast to last 24 to 36 hours into Friday evening," the city warned.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a storm briefing this morning that northern Florida "has not had a major hurricane hit in quite some time, and certainly nobody in recent memory has seen a storm of this magnitude."

The governor said Helene's effects are already being felt in the southern part of the state. Overnight, there were 14 different tornado warnings with more likely today.

Florida has 3,500 soldiers ready to respond to the storm, 200 Florida Highway Patrol troopers are ready to deploy, and the Florida Department of Transportation has 550 generators and 40 large pumps ready to remove water from low-lying areas.

Thus far 80 health care facilities, hospitals, assisted living facilities and nursing homes have reported various levels of evacuations, DeSantis said. Shelters are open and all counties are required to have at least one pet friendly shelter.

As Helene swirls closer, here are some forecast impacts:

Storm surge: Catastrophic storm surge of up to 10 to 20 feet in the Big Bend will travel 10 to 25 miles inland depending on river locations. Tampa Bay and Cedar Key could see record high water levels. Up to 20 feet of storm surge is forecast for Carrabelle to Suwannee River. 

Flooding rainfall: Life-threatening river and flash flooding is likely from Florida to the Carolinas. Up to 20 inches of rain is possible for areas under high risk for flash flooding through tonight including Apalachicola, Tallahassee and Asheville.

Wind threat: Extreme wind damage is likely from the Florida coast along the I-95 corridor into Tennessee, with widespread power outages likely. Gusts as high as 110 mph are forecast for Tallahassee. 

Heavy winds and rain battered Marco Island, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Helene’s expected landfall in Florida later today. Helene was forecast to rapidly strengthen and could become a Category 3 or 4 storm.

Helene is expected to intensify into a major Category 3 hurricane by this afternoon and continue to intensify until it makes landfall tonight between 8 and 11 p.m. on the Big Bend of Florida. 

At landfall, it’s expected to be a borderline Category 3/Category 4 hurricane with winds around 125 mph. 

A tornado watch is in place for most of the Florida Peninsula until 8 p.m. ET. A tornado has already been reported this morning near the border of Georgia and South Carolina. Tornado watches will expand later today into parts of those states. Forty-two million are under flood watches from Florida to Virginia including the metro areas of Miami, Tampa, Tallahassee, Atlanta, Birmingham and Memphis. 

Flash flood risk will increase overnight as Helene pushes inland, with parts of the Big Bend and southern Appalachians under a high risk.

In Pinellas County, near Tampa on Florida's west coast, officials chastised locals who defied mandatory evacuation orders for people living in "Zone A" near the shoreline.

"We got a problem and the problem is way that too many people in Zone A aren’t listening. We’ve been out there this morning, there’s still way too many people in the areas covered by upper Tampa Bay, on Tampa Bay itself, on the East Side and out there in there barrier islands," Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said this morning.

He said that flooding has already been reported in the area, warning: "It’s going to reach a point where you’ve got 8 ft of water with wave action. It’s just too dangerous. So now’s the time."

Cathie Perkins, director of Pinellas County Emergency Management, warned locals to brace for 5 to 8 feet of storm surge — “that’s enough to sweep your car away and potentially kill people.”

"Dalia was four feet ... where we had over 1,500 homes in Pinellas County flood. We are talking about peak surge of up to 10 feet. This is much higher than what we had for Idalia. So for those of you that stayed in place in the A Zone, this is not the same story. You need to get out of Zone A period," she said.

An experimental graphic from the National Hurricane Center shows just how large an area will be affected with severe weather from Hurricane Helene, which extends well beyond the "cone" or central part of the storm.

People fill sandbags ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Helene in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday.

Helene is now a Category 2 hurricane, churning with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. 

“Significant additional strengthening” is forecast before landfall in Florida, the National Hurricane Center warned in an 8 a.m. advisory. 

It’s now located about 320 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, moving north-northeast at 12 mph. 

Students and staff who live on campus at Florida State University in Tallahassee were told to relocate to the Turnbull Conference Center “to wait out the hurricane” and that they are not allowed to bunker down in residence halls, the school announced.

The refuge space will open at 10 a.m. today and students “must be in place by 12 noon… as travel conditions will begin to deteriorate at that time.” FSU had opened a refuge facility at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center as well for off campus students.

Florida A&M University, also in Tallahassee, has a shelter at the Al Lawson Center run by the Red Cross for students and community residents. University residents on campus are “strongly encouraged” to shelter at the center, but students had the option to stay in their residence halls.

Multiple state universities within the projected path of Helene have shuttered for the rest of the week ahead of Helene's landfall.  

Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida as a potentially catastrophic Category 4 storm, as thousands of residents are racing against the clock to evacuate. NBC’s Tom Llamas reports and TODAY’s Al Roker tracks the storm’s projected path.

Florida may feel the brunt of Hurricane Helene but its effects will be felt across the southeastern United States, with an "enhanced risk" of the worst damage expected through northeast Florida into Georgia and South Carolina.

The National Weather Service office in Charleston pointed out that all of South Carolina and Georgia are under either hurricane warnings or tropical storm warnings.

Of particular concern is the risk of tornadoes through today and tonight, the NWS said.

The city of Jacksonville is preparing for the worst by bringing in seven temporary pump stations, NBC affiliate WTLV reported last night.

The area suffered significant flooding a month ago and Mayor Donna Deegan is taking no chances.

The fix is temporary while the city invests in a $40 million permanent pump station that will be able to pump some 75,00 gallons, Deegan told a news conference yesterday.

People along the Florida coast at risk of dangerous storm surges should leave now and not take any chances, says Max Defender 8 Chief Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli, with NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa.

“You cannot survive 20 feet or even 15 feet of storm surge,” he said. “If you’re near the water and you know you’re going to flood, especially if you’re in a mobile home, too. You’ve got to go. You cannot take your chances. This is not survivable.”

A storm surge warning is in place for almost all Florida's west coast, as well as Tampa Bay and Charlotte Bay.

Residents in Tallahassee, Florida, made some last minute preparations on Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Helene’s arrival. NBC South Florida's Lorena Inclan reports.

Hurricane Helene moved toward northern Florida and was expected to strengthen to a category 4 storm with the potential for major storm surge, damaging winds and tornadoes. Evacuations were stepped up in areas prone to flooding and sandbagging was in overdrive. NBC News' Marissa Parra reports.

The Big Bend Coast is set for "catastrophic" wind damage, flash flooding from heavy rain, tornadoes and lethal storm surges, the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee warned early today.

Damaging winds would be felt well inland through the state and into Georgia., it said.

Last night the Tallahassee office said the forecast was a "nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay."

"Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!" it said.

Florida is facing 48 hours of dangerous extreme weather as Hurricane Helene heads across the Gulf of Mexico. NBC News meteorologist Angie Lassman has the latest forecast on Early Today.