Hurricane Helene makes landfall in northwestern Florida

The U.S. National Hurricane Center reports that fast-moving Hurricane Helene made landfall precocious Thursday, hitting northwestern Florida arsenic a almighty Category 4 tempest expected to bring damaging winds and flash flooding to parts of the low-lying state.

The NHC said Helene came ashore astatine astir 11:10 p.m. section clip successful the "Big Bend" country of Florida’s westbound seashore with maximum sustained winds of 225 kph.

The hurricane halfway called Helene an "extremely unsafe and life-threatening" tempest and urged radical to enactment sheltered arsenic the tempest passes through.

Florida's Big Bend is nestled successful the curve of Florida's peninsula astir the Gulf of Mexico and Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie and Levy counties, and is the determination of immoderate of Florida's astir important wilderness destinations, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Forecasters said the interaction of tempest surge, upwind and rainfall volition widen good distant from the halfway of the storm, peculiarly to the east. Hurricane warnings were successful effect for confederate Georgia arsenic good arsenic astir of bluish Florida, and tropical tempest warnings widen into the Carolinas.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued a authorities of exigency for astir each of Florida's 67 counties, including Miami-Dade. He has mobilized the National Guard and positioned thousands of unit to hole for imaginable hunt and rescue operations and powerfulness restoration.

In a statement, the White House said U.S. President Joe Biden was briefed connected the tempest Wednesday, and his medication stands acceptable to supply further assistance to Florida and different states successful Helene's path.

Helene is the eighth named tempest of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane play this twelvemonth due to the fact that of record-warm water temperatures.

The Atlantic's ninth named tempest of the season, Tropical Storm Isaac, formed Wednesday nighttime successful the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane halfway reported it was expected to fortify arsenic it moves eastward, perchance becoming a hurricane by the extremity of the week.

Some accusation for this study came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.