(Tallahassee, FL) -- Helene is now a Category 4 hurricane ahead of its anticipated landfall in Florida's Big Bend.
Helene is moving toward the north-northeast near 23 mph (37 km/h). A continued fast motion to the north-northeast is expected through landfall in the Florida Big Bend in a few hours. After landfall, Helene is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.
According to FEMA, the storm will hit Tallahassee "dead on" and its mayor says it could be the "strongest hurricane in recorded history ever to hit" his city.
Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis says the forecast has shifted a bit and the storm will now make landfall around eleven p.m. Eastern. Helene's maximum sustained winds have increased to 130-miles-per-hour. A storm surge warning is in effect for almost the entire west coast of Florida and water could reach as high as 20 feet in some areas.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for...
* Mexico Beach eastward and southward to Flamingo
* Tampa Bay
* Charlotte Harbor
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...
* Anclote River to Mexico Beach
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for...
* Englewood to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Florida Keys, including the Dry Tortugas
* Flamingo to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay
* West of Mexico Beach to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line
* Flamingo northward to Little River Inlet
* Lake Okeechobee