Hurricane Helene live tracker
LATEST: Hurricane Helene has traveled north from Florida to Georgia and was about 100 miles from Augusta and 40 miles from Macon moving at about 30 mph, the hurricane center in Miami said in a 4 a.m. update.
The hurricane roared ashore in northwestern Florida late Thursday as a powerful Category 4 storm, unleashing catastrophic winds and torrential rain that left millions without power and prompted emergency declarations across multiple states.
The storm has prompted hurricane and flash flood warnings extending far inland into northern Georgia and western North Carolina, with forecasters warning of dangerous conditions well beyond the coast. Maps from weather forecaster Windy.com show its path and damage.
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As Hurricane Helene moved inland, the storm claimed its first victims: one person was killed in Florida when a sign fell on their car, while two others were reported dead in south Georgia, where a possible tornado struck as the storm approached.
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"When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we're going to be waking up to a state where very likely there's been additional loss of life and certainly there's going to be loss of property," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a Thursday night news conference, highlighting the storm's deadly toll.
Helene satellite trackerWeather satellites are tracking Hurricane Helene's approach toward Florida's coast, capturing the storm's intensifying threat from space. The hurricane's impact has reached beyond the ground, forcing NASA and SpaceX to delay the planned launch of a new crew to the International Space Station due to hazardous conditions. According to NASA's Rob Navias, the International Space Station will make a second, more direct pass over Hurricane Helene at 2:25 p.m. EDT (1825 GMT), providing about five minutes of close-up views of the storm. While the flyover won't be livestreamed, NASA plans to release the recorded footage via the NASA+ streaming service and its social media channels.
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Helene storm surge trackerThe weather service warned storm surges could be particularly "catastrophic and unsurvivable" in Apalachee Bay. "Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!" the office said, describing the surge scenario as "a nightmare." Federal authorities staged search-and-rescue teams. Michael Brennan, Director of the National Hurricane Center, said: "A really unsurvivable scenario is going to play out."
Helene rainfall trackerHurricane Helene's reach extended well beyond Florida, inundating the North Carolina mountains with up to 10 inches (25 cm) of rain, and forecasters warned that up to 14 inches (36 cm) more could fall before the storm moves out. Officials cautioned that the resulting floods could be the worst the region has seen in the past century.
Meanwhile, heavy rain and fierce winds began hitting Valdosta, Georgia, near the Florida border on Thursday. The National Weather Service reported that more than a dozen counties in Georgia could be battered by hurricane-force winds exceeding 110 mph (177 kph) as Helene continued its destructive march northward.
Helene wind gusts trackerThe National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that Hurricane Helene swept ashore near the mouth of the Aucilla River in Florida's Big Bend region. The storm packed maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, making it a powerful Category 4 system. This location is just 20 miles northwest of where Hurricane Idalia made landfall last year with nearly the same intensity, causing widespread damage across the region.
Waves of up to 20 feet are forecast to pummel Florida's coastline as the "highly dangerous" weather pattern bears down on the state. Authorities are bracing for widespread damage to boats, port infrastructure, beaches, wildlife and homes near the shore. "Helene continues to produce catastrophic winds that are now pushing into southern Georgia," the National Hurricane Center warned in a 1 a.m. update on Friday. "Persons should not leave their shelters and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions."
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
