Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday night after it strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane earlier in the day.
Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center said the eye of the storm made landfall about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida, about 11:10 p.m. ET with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.
The storm weakened to a Category 1 as it moved inland across Georgia but the threat of life-threatening storm surge, winds and heavy rain continued, the hurricane center said in a 2 a.m. Friday update.
Forecasters warned Helene could have a wind swath more than 400 miles wide and could bring “unsurvivable” storm surge.
Follow live updates on Tropical Storm Helene
Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina have declared emergencies ahead of landfall.
Flooding is a concern in North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina.
The system became a tropical storm Tuesday in the western Caribbean Sea and caused flooding in the Cayman Islands.
