Hurricane Helene Hits Florida as a Catastrophic Category 4 Storm

Hurricane Helene, one of the largest and most powerful storms to make landfall in the U.S., has struck Florida, bringing catastrophic conditions and already claiming at least one life.

The storm made landfall late Wednesday night in Florida’s Big Bend region, just after 11pm ET, as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of around 130 mph (209 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.

Ahead of Helene’s landfall, the storm’s size and strength caused widespread flooding along the Gulf Coast and left more than a million Floridians without power. The impact of the storm is expected to be severe, not just in Florida, but also in Alabama and parts of the Carolinas, where flash flooding remains a significant threat.

Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed one death and warned that additional casualties are likely as the extent of the storm’s damage becomes clearer in the coming hours. The entire state of Florida is currently under hurricane or tropical storm warnings, with Helene expected to continue its path across the state.

The storm's sheer size and force set it apart as one of the largest storms to hit the Gulf of Mexico in recent decades. Only three hurricanes since 1988 have surpassed Helene in size, making it a particularly dangerous and historic storm for the region.

Emergency responders are on high alert as they prepare to assist those impacted by the storm's “unsurvivable” conditions, and efforts are underway to restore power to affected areas. With damage assessments still underway, residents across the southeastern U.S. are bracing for further impacts as Hurricane Helene continues its destructive path.