Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Florida coast on Thursday night as a formidable category 4 storm, unleashing chaos across a broad area of the Gulf Coast. The storm is expected to bring severe winds, significant storm surges, and heavy rainfall. As of late Thursday, Helene was situated approximately 70 kilometers east-southeast of Tallahassee, Florida, with maximum sustained winds reaching 225 kilometers per hour, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. The storm surge in some areas could rise as high as 20 feet, posing a serious threat to coastal communities.

Hurricane Helene is rapidly approaching Florida, now classified as a potentially catastrophic category 4 hurricane by the National Hurricane Center. This makes it one of the most powerful storms to impact the United States this year. The storm is expected to make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast and then travel up the southeastern coastline, moving from Florida towards North Carolina. Hurricane Helene has gained much of its strength from the unusually warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which have reached record high temperatures in recent years. Additionally, the ocean temperatures around Florida have been rising, increasing the state's vulnerability to severe storms.