BUFFALO, N.Y. — Hurricane Helene is now a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, as of Thursday afternoon. It is accelerating and moving NNE at 20mph.
Helene is expected to make U.S. landfall near the Big Bend area of Florida as a Category 3 major hurricane, with maximum sustained winds at around 125 mph to 130 mph.
There are hurricane warnings for much of the Florida gulf coastline near expected landfall, with tropical storm warnings for most of the rest of the state. There are also hurricane warnings extending into southwest Georgia.
The remnants of Helene are expected to move north and northwest, bringing heavy rain also into the inland Mid-Atlantic, then clouds reaching our area Friday night. Historic flooding is likely for portions of northern Georgia, and western South and North Carolinas. Some showers from the weakened remnants may move into northern Pennsylvania and western NY later Friday night into Saturday. Overall minimal impacts locally.
You can track the storm here: