Hurricane Helene made landfall along the Florida Big Bend region, about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry and just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River, at 11:10 p.m. ET on Thursday (September 26) night as a catastrophic Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 140 mph.
One of the biggest threats is the “unsurvivable” storm surge that could top 20 feet in low-lying areas. In addition, Helene is expected to dump between six and 12 inches of rain, with isolated totals of 18 inches in some areas. This rainfall will likely result in catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with significant river flooding.
“Helene continues to produce catastrophic winds that are pushing further inland over the Florida Big Bend and Florida Panhandle and will soon be entering southeastern Georgia. This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the National Hurricane Center said in an update at 12 a.m. ET. “Persons should not leave their shelters and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions. When in the eye, people are reminded to not venture out in the relative calm, as hazardous winds will increase very quickly when the eye passes.”
After making landfall, Helene is expected to weaken, turn northwest, and bring dangerous winds and flooding rains to the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.
Earlier in the evening, two people were killed by a tornado in Alamo, Georgia, in a storm caused by Helene.
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