MIAMI — Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida and tear north over the state during the dark of night as a Category 3 or 4 storm, as the state prepares for potentially serious damage in and around Tallahassee, the state capital.
The storm is currently at a Category 2 and headed north along Florida’s Gulf Coast toward Florida’s Big Bend region. “We’re already seeing some effects in the southern part of the state,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference Thursday morning. “We’re going to continue to see conditions deteriorate throughout the rest of the day.”
Appearing on “Fox and Friends” ahead of the press conference, DeSantis predicted landfall would be around 7 p.m.
Thursday morning marks the last window that people who want to evacuate can do so, DeSantis said, given that it’ll be too dangerous to be on the roads later. He recommended people in that region head west, toward Pensacola, or that they locate a shelter in their county.
The Big Bend area is expected to see up to 20 feet of storm surge, which is when a hurricane’s force pushes water from the Gulf onto land, flooding roads, homes and businesses. Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, who is over 6 feet tall, told the public during Thursday’s press conference that the water would rush in to levels higher than he could reach.