Forecasters say Helene has strengthened as it is expected to make landfall in north Florida’s Big Bend region.
Hurricane Helene has rapidly strengthened as it moves closer to the United States, with the storm forecast to be one of the most dangerous in recent history to hit the coast of Florida.
Helene registered maximum sustained winds of 215km/hour (130 miles per hour) on Thursday evening, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, describing the storm as “extremely dangerous”.
It was forecast to make landfall around 11pm local time (03:00 GMT on Friday) in Florida’s Big Bend region, Florida officials said.
Heavy rainfall was forecast for the southeastern US, with a “life-threatening storm surge” along the entire west coast of Florida, according to the NHC.
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