As Hurricane Helene approaches Florida photos show storm's initial impact
Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY
Updated
1 min read
Hurricane Helene has yet to make landfall, but multiple communities in Florida have already been impacted by the storm.
The storm was expected to bring devastation to the region overnight, leaving thousands of residents to contend with flooding, overturned trees, and power loss.
Hurricane Helene was expected to become more intense Thursday, with AccuWeather forecasters predicting that the storm would be classified as a Category 4 by the time it makes landfall.
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More than 70,000 people across four Florida counties, including Franklin, Taylor, Liberty and Wakulla, were ordered to evacuate on Thursday. Hurricane Helene's impact will be deadly, especially for those who live along coastal or low-lying areas.
After the storm makes landfall, expected in the state's Big Bend region on Thursday night, Helene is forecast to gravitate toward the Tennessee Valley.
Dan DePodwin, senior director of forecasting operations at AccuWeather, told USA TODAY, that Helene, a "very dangerous" hurricane, had the potential to become a "once-in-a-generation storm."
Hurricane Helene's latest forecasted path, as of Thursday morning, Sept. 26, 2024.
Photos: Hurricane Helene leaves imprint in Florida
Photos taken across Florida show the early effects of Hurricane Helene in Florida, including floods, the destruction of power lines and severe winds.
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Residents across Florida have "hunkered down" or evacuated, depending on where they are located. Schools, local businesses, and airports have closed as a result of Hurricane Helene, USA TODAY reported.
Bill and Mandy Adams board up their home in Keaton Beach, Florida before evacuating.
Fort Myers Beach pictured on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, moments after Hurricane Helene passes through.
Flooded roadways pictured in Goodland, a fishing village in Florida, on Thursday from Hurricane Helene's outer bands.
Fort Myers Beach bridge roadways were inundated when Hurricane Helene moved through the area on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
A view of Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Helene moved through.
Goodland, a fish village in Florida, was subject to flooding on Thursday as a result of high tide and outer bands from Hurricane Helene.
Crews worked to restore electricity in a Lake Worth Beach neighborhood after Hurricane Helene moved through the area, which caused a tree limb to fall onto power lines. Power was restored in the area by Thursday afternoon.
Businesses in downtown Sarasota were working to prepare for Hurricane Helene by placing sandbags in front of their doors.
Trees whip around as wind speeds increase in Naples Pier in Naples, Florida.
A downed tree sits in a Naples-area parking lot after Hurricane Helene passed through.
A view of the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in Sanibel, Florida as the region experienced strong winds and some partial flooding after Hurricane Helene.
Strong winds and partial flooding were visible in Sanibel, Florida on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 after Hurricane Helene.
Boat docks completely submerged at Bayfront Park in Sarasota, Florida.
Utility crews repair a line damaged by an outer band of Hurricane Helene near Crawfordville, Florida.
Waves from the Gulf of Mexico crash on shore as Hurricane Helene churns offshore in St. Pete Beach, Florida.
The aftermath in Sanibel, Florida after Hurricane Helene swept through.
Fort Myers Beach was flooded a second time when the outer bands of Hurricane Helene passed by.
A view of the Fort Myers Beach, which flooded twice on Thursday.
Beachgoer hit by a wave at Fort Myers Beach as Hurricane Helene moved through the area.
A drone view shows a line homes in Alligator Point before Hurricane Helene's expected landfall.
People fill sandbags at a park in Pinellas Park on Wednesday to prepare for Hurricane Helene's arrival.
Dock boxes float freely in Sarasota's Bayfront Park as storms caused by Hurricane Helene push water over the seawall.
A roadway on Fort Myers Beach experiences a second round of flooding from the outer bands of Hurricane Helene.
Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach dealt with another round of flooding as outer bands from Hurricane Helen passed through the region.
Another view at Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach.
Hurricane Helene tracker
Hurricane Helene spaghetti models
Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
This story was updated to add more photographs.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, Gabe Hauari and Dinah Voyles Pulver
