Hurricane Helene tracker: Florida is hit by a powerful Category 4 storm, according to ABC. Hurricane Helene is intensifying as it gets closer to landfall, with sustained winds of 140 mph. Ahead of its anticipated landfall on Florida’s northwest coast on Thursday night, Hurricane Helene intensified into a Category 4 storm. However, forecasters issued a warning, stating that the massive system could produce a “nightmare” storm surge and bring dangerous winds and rain to a large portion of the southeastern United States.Hurricane and flash flood warnings that went far beyond the coast, into northern Georgia and western North Carolina, were issued in response to Hurricane Helene. Over 600,000 homes and businesses in Florida have already lost power due to strong winds, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us. The state of emergencies was declared by the governors of Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and the Carolinas. The hurricane’s eye was about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of Tallahassee, Florida, and had sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was moving north-northeast at 24 mph (39 kph), and life-threatening storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters) were expected in the Big Bend area of Florida.
