In pictures: Hurricane Helene closes in on Gulf Coast
Hurricane Helene is already lashing Florida as it continues to intensify and track north toward Florida’s Big Bend. Thousands of Florida residents have already been forced to evacuate and nearly the entire state is under alerts.
Here are some images from today as the storm continues its approach.
What we're covering here
• Helene closes in on Gulf Coast: Hurricane Helene continues to intensify as it tracks north toward the Florida Panhandle. The eye — around which are the most dangerous and life-threatening conditions — is expected to make landfall this evening. You can track Helene’s path with CNN’s storm tracker.
• A sprawling storm: Helene is one of the largest storms in the Gulf of Mexico in the last century, with a wind field that could span roughly the distance between Indianapolis and Washington, DC. Its huge size will result in higher storm surge and dangerous winds that stretch well inland. Widespread power outages are likely across the Southeast.
• “Unsurvivable” storm surge: Storm surge — how high the water rises above normal levels — could climb to 20 feet along Florida’s Big Bend. The National Weather Service is warning of “unsurvivable” storm surge in Apalachee Bay.
• Widespread impact: Helene has already prompted school and business closures, as well as flight cancellations. Officials warn that catastrophic wind damage from the storm could cause power outages that will “likely last days, if not weeks.”
• In the path of Hurricane Helene? Bookmark CNN’s lite site for fast connectivity. Sigue nuestra cobertura en vivo del huracán en español.