Hurricane Helene packed a powerful punch as it slammed into Florida's Big Bend section, rapidly intensifying into a Category 4 storm before making landfall Thursday night.
Helene brought winds in excess of 140 mph and storm surge estimated up to 20 feet in Apalachee Bay, a swampy area near where the eye wall was set to come ashore, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Landfall occurred at approximately 11:15 p.m. EDT Thursday with coastal areas from Tampa Bay to Panama City Beach experiencing flooding. But the low-lying region near landfall was experiencing a strong storm surge that the NHC described as "unsurvivable."
"The models show us that 20 feet storm surge will push water 20 miles from the coast and possibly into south Leon County and into Tallahassee to the north," Wakulla County Commissioner Ralph Thomas told CNN.
The storm surge, heavy rainfall and catastrophic wind conditions were expected to continue throughout Thursday night and into Friday as the storm treks inland. Hurricane warnings and state-of-emergencies have been declared in its path.
"There is a danger of catastrophic and unsurvivable storm surge for Apalachee Bay. ... Destructive waves will exacerbate the surge," the National Weather Service in Tallahassee said on X.
More than 80 million Americans are under weather warnings as flooding, power outages and dangerous winds are expected. Helene is expected to trek north through Atlanta today and eventually Nashville before finally losing steam on Saturday.
