Watch the live stream as the storm approaches Florida

According to the latest forecasts, Helene will make landfall this evening near the Big Bend area of ​​Florida as at least a Category 3 hurricane. As it moves inland, Helene is expected to produce rainfall totals of 6 to 12 inches across much of the Southeast, with isolated isolated rainfall amounts possibly reaching 18 inches. Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, said these rains would lead to “potentially life-threatening” flooding.

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As of Thursday morning, Helene was about 320 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, and moving north-northeast at a speed of about 12 miles per hour, according to the hurricane center. Helene is expected to continue on this path with a “significant increase in forward velocity” over the next 24 hours.