Mandatory evacuations are in effect for Zone A as residents await the storm’s arrival. Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast joins FOX Weather now to discuss the situation.
TAMPA, Fla. – Hurricane Helene is unleashing its fury on Florida with landfall in the coming hours as a major hurricane along the Gulf Coast.
Millions of people in the Sunshine State are in the storm’s destructive and flooding path, and mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for numerous counties.
Helene’s storm surge poses an extreme and potentially deadly threat. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee has warned of unsurvivable water levels in Apalachee Bay. Given the monster storm’s size and strength, the storm surge could be among the worst ever seen in this part of Florida, reaching up to 20 feet in some areas.
The forecast is for water up to 8 feet above the normal high tide line in and around the highly populated Tampa Bay, if the peak surge occurs at high tide.
However, the current forecast shows the greatest water rise occurring late Thursday afternoon and evening when the tide will be low. That may shave off 1-3 feet of water rise, but immense damage is still likely, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Early Thursday morning, the surge was clear to see in downtown Naples. Footage posted by X user @chuckbender66 shows conditions on the Tin City waterfront.
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Storm surge led to severe flooding in downtown Naples, Florida, as Hurricane Helene moved closer to the state.
Footage posted to X by @Nerdy_Addict shows conditions in Cedar Key as waves overspilled onto streets.
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A storm surge was clear to see along coastal Florida on Thursday, September 26, as the region braced for Hurricane Helene.
Floodwaters were pooling in Fort Myers Beach in video shared by Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
Floodwaters pooled along Florida’s southwestern coast on Thursday as locals braced for the arrival of Hurricane Helene.
Deputies in Bonita Springs were monitoring rising tide and storm surge along the beaches Thursday morning, Marceno said.
“Check out these deputies in action assisting neighbors through flooded streets near Hickory Blvd,” he posted.
Watch as high water thrashes along the shorelines of St. Petersburg. It was captured on video by local resident Sean Wrucke.
High water thrashed along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday as the region braced for Hurricane Helene.
Footage posted by the City of St Petersburg shows conditions in Coffee Pot Park.
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“Water is going to continue to rise as the day goes on,” the post read. “Please stay safe.”