Hurricane Helene tracker: Storm forecast to make landfall in Florida at Category 4 strength with 'catastrophic' storm surge

Four governors in the Southeast declared states of emergency, and the Tampa International Airport announced it was suspending operations ahead of Helene's arrival.

Hurricane Helene is now forecast to make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast on Thursday evening at Category 4 strength, the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday evening.

The storm is expected to bring "catastrophic and deadly storm surge" to a large portion of Florida and the Southeast, meteorologists warned. The storm surge could reach as high as 20 feet.

The governors of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina declared states of emergency ahead of Helene's arrival. The Tampa International Airport announced that it will suspend operations on Thursday.

Multiple counties in Florida issued mandatory evacuation orders for people in low-lying areas. Residents in the storm's potential path have been told to prepare for up to a week without electricity.

"It's a big, big storm," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press briefing Wednesday. "Many people will lose power ... be prepared for that."

Where is the storm and what is its path?

Helene — with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph — was located about 460 miles southwest of Tampa, Fla., and was moving north at 12 mph.

The storm is expected to rapidly intensify and come ashore in Florida's Big Bend region with winds of 130 mph, forecasters said.

In addition to high winds, the storm will threaten millions of residents along the Gulf Coast with heavy rainfall, as well as the possibility of tornadoes. Before it heads up into the Gulf of Mexico, Helene will bring heavy rain to portions of the western Caribbean, potentially mudslides and flooding across western Cuba. The system will also pose the threat of inland flooding across several U.S. states.

"Considerable flash and urban flooding is expected across portions of Florida, the Southeast, southern Appalachians, and the Tennessee Valley Wednesday through Friday," the National Hurricane Center said.

There is the potential for life-threatening storm surge along the entire Florida peninsula, the weather service warned.

A peak storm surge of up to 20 feet is possible along portions of Florida's Gulf Coast.