Hurricane Helene damage, flooding in Florida, Tennessee, Georgia hours ahead of landfall

The massive Hurricane Helene has yet to make landfall in Florida , however, the powerful Category 3 storm has already caused damage here.

Helene has grown fairly quickly into a Category 3 hurricane and is already a major hurricane with 120 mph winds, according to the 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The powerful, widespread storm is expected to strengthen further and make landfall Thursday evening as a Category 4 hurricane.

All along the Florida Gulf Coast and throughout the Big Bend region (near Tallahassee and Florida State University, for a reference point), Floridians are boarding up, battening down, or fleeing the oncoming storm. Heavy rains have already begun in some areas , causing some flooding.

Below is a list of damage from Hurricane Helene in various Florida cities or counties and visuals associated with that damage, reported from USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network. Knoxville, Tennessee, also was affected by Hurricane Helene. This story will be updated.

Weather radar: Will we get showers, thunderstorms, rain in Florida today?

The National Weather Service radar for the Southeast United States shows conditions in real-time. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache.

Where is Hurricane Helene? What is the track, path of Helene in Florida?

Shown is the seven-day graphical tropical weather outlook from the National Hurricane Center in Miami . The above graphic will automatically update with each advisory from the hurricane center, which is at 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. when there is an active storm such as Hurricane Helene.

Hurricane Helene damage in Sarasota County, Manatee County, Florida

Hurricane Helene damage in Fort Myers, Florida, and Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Hurricane Helene damage in Sanibel Island, Florida

Hurricane Helene damage in Holmes Beach, Florida

Hurricane Helene damage in Goodland, Florida

Hurricane Helene damage in Knoxville, Tennessee

Hurricane Helene damage in Savannah, Georgia

Hurricane Helene damage in Augusta, Georgia

Contributing: C.A. Bridges, USA TODAY Network-Florida

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Hurricane Helene damage, flooding in Florida, Tennessee, Georgia hours ahead of landfall