Hurricane Helene has intensified into a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130 mph on its final approach to Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday, bringing a potentially “unsurvivable” 20-foot storm surge, catastrophic hurricane-force winds and flooding rain.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that Hurricane Helene will continue to intensify before it makes landfall.
Storm surge became a problem for Southwest Florida ahead of Helene’s landfall. On Thursday morning, St. Petersburg and Naples reported an increase in water level of over 2 feet. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said there is a significant risk of a life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula, as well as Florida’s Big Bend region because of Hurricane Helene’s massive size.
The highest inundation, with as much as 20 feet of storm surge flooding, is expected from Carrabelle to the Suwannee River in Florida, with other locations like Apalachicola and Chassahowitzka forecast to see 10-15 feet of storm surge.
