Hurricane Helene now a Category 2 as it moves toward Florida

( NewsNation ) — Hurricane Helene is forecast to make landfall Thursday night as a major hurricane, threatening Florida’s coast and southern Georgia with the potential for “unsurvivable” storm surges.

“It is possible that this storm could make landfall as a major hurricane as a Category 3 or even, potentially a Category 4,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news conference Thursday. “It is moving fast. More rainfall is, of course, expected and it could lead to significant storm surge in our coastal areas.”

Models Thursday were nudging the center of the storm further east, DeSantis said. Storm surges and rising water are also expected along the state’s west coast.

“To the extent it is tracking east and mirroring more of an Idalia track rather than a direct hit on Tallahassee, that is going to impact the extent of the damage,” he said. “This area has not had a major hurricane hit in quite some time and certainly, no one in recent memory has seen a storm of this magnitude that has hit.”

Helene, the fifth hurricane of the Atlantic season this year, was a Category 2 hurricane as of 8 a.m. ET, according to the National Hurricane Center . The storm is expected to cause heavy rainfall, flash flooding and a life-threatening storm surge of up to 20 feet in some areas.

“All of these things combined make this a very serious storm,” Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez told NewsNation. “The time to prepare is now … later on today, it might be a little too late.”

Before landfall early Thursday morning, sustained winds were near 100 mph, heading northward. The NHC predicts the winds could reach 130 mph before landfall, which would make it a Category 4 storm.

As of 10 a.m. Eastern, Helene was a Category 2 storm about 320 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, moving north northeast. After making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend area in the northwest part of the state, forecasters expect the storm to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.

More than 20 counties were under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders as of Thursday morning, and DeSantis declared a state of emergency for most of Florida . Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster did the same, as wind damage is forecast to extend far beyond the storm’s center and inland across the southeastern U.S.

“There is a danger of catastrophic and unsurvivable storm surge for Apalachee Bay … this forecast, if realized, is a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” the National Weather Service in Tallahassee said, pleading with residents to “please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously.”

Anyone in northern Florida who needs to seek alternative shelter should act now, DeSantis said.

“Every minute that goes by brings us closer to having conditions that are simply too dangerous to navigate,” DeSantis said.

One man named Jay lives on his sailboat and said that’s where he plans weather the hurricane.

“Anything that happens was meant to be,” Jay told NewsNation’s Ryan Bass. “It’s all preordained. I believe God has got our back. He looks out for all of us. He loves us all. If I wind up on land and my boat winds up crushed, then that just means I wasn’t meant to be on it.”

The storm surge causes normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The destructive Hurricane Ian in 2022 had storm surge levels of 10 to 15 feet above ground level. Helene, meanwhile, could produce storm surge of 15-20 feet in some areas.

The NHC warns of prolonged power outages lasting days to weeks, damage to trees and powerlines and inaccessible roads. Tornadoes are also possible.

DeSantis reminded residents to use generators properly and make sure they stay outside their homes, as using them indoors could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. He also encouraged locals to look into the pet-friendly shelters required in each county.

Florida A&M University in Tallahassee postponed its upcoming college football game against Alabama A&M, while NASA and SpaceX rescheduled a planned astronaut launch.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.