Hurricane Helene live updates: at least 20 killed as hurricane center warns of ‘historic and catastrophic flooding’

6.45pm BST

A silver lining, if there can be one from the deadliest and most powerful cyclone to strike the US in more than a year, is that Hurricane Helene is unlikely to be among the country’s costliest, in insurance terms at least.

A report in the Miami Herald on Friday says insurance industry leaders believe losses will be “modest”, largely because the storm’s initial landfall came in a sparsely populated area of Florida.

“This looks like it will not be a large loss event for Florida insurers,” Mark Friedlander , spokesperson for the industry-backed Insurance Information Institute, told the newspaper.

The report says Helene’s losses could be closer to hurricanes Idalia ($309m) and Debby ($128m), two other cyclones that struck the state’s Big Bend area since August last year.

The costliest hurricane in US history was Katrina in 2005, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The storm that flooded New Orleans cost insurers more than $200bn.

6.33pm BST

Interim summary

It’s lunchtime in the south eastern US where Tropical Storm Helene , once a monster category 4 hurricane with 140mph winds, is still menacing states from Florida to Ohio. Here’s what we’ve been following:

• At least 20 people have been killed by the storm, which made landfall at about 11.10pm Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend. It picked up significant strength in the Gulf of Mexico, and has left a trail of devastation during its rampage across numerous states.

• Many of the fatalities are in Georgia , where Governor Brian Kemp told reporters that a first responder was among 11 confirmed deaths. Dozens of people were rescued as severe flooding affected many areas, including the city of Atlanta, which remains under a flash flood warning.

• In Florida , five people were killed in Pinellas county, at least two of them drowned after they ignored warnings to evacuate, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. At least two others are dead in Florida, one in a traffic accident and the other when a tree fell on a house, Governor Ron DeSantis said. He credited rescue crews with saving “a lot of lives” during thousands of overnight rescues.

• North Carolina ’s governor, Roy Cooper , said Helene was “one of the worst storms in modern history”, and warned the end of the rain was not the end of the threat to his state because of flooding and high wind concerns. At least two people were killed.

• The National Weather Service issued an emergency evacuation order for residents below North Carolina’s Lake Lure dam , which it said was at risk of “imminent failure” after it was overtopped by storm water.

• The National Hurricane Center (NHC), in its most recent advisory, warned of “historic, catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding” across the south-eastern US continuing into the weekend. Damaging wind gusts could be expected in Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee , and Kentucky on Friday, and “significant flooding” over Ohio and the Tennessee valleys through at least Sunday.

• Early estimates from the NHC’s storm surge unit indicates water levels reached more than 15ft above normal where the storm came ashore near Keaton Beach, Florida. The figure is below the worst prediction of more than 20ft, but is still abnormally high, and the storm’s giant size left flooding far from its core.

Stick with us for all the afternoon developments.

Updated at 6.35pm BST

6.00pm BST

A preliminary assessment of Hurricane Helene’s storm surge in Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center , indicates water levels reached more than 15ft above normal where the storm came ashore near Keaton Beach.

The NHC’s storm surge unit says it will be conducting a detailed analysis in the coming weeks. If confirmed, the figure is about 5ft below the worst predictions for Helene’s storm surge, which officials feared would be 20ft or more.

Even so, a surge of 15ft at landfall, and 10ft or more in areas such as Tampa Bay and Fort Myers, Florida, which were much further away from Helene’s eye, is still abnormally high.

For example, the storm surge from category 5 Hurricane Michael , which struck Florida’s Big Bend in October 2018, was only 14ft, but water levels topped above 20ft when the surge combined with waves in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a storm tide sensor near Mexico Beach.

5.36pm BST

While Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm on Friday morning, another hurricane, Isaac , was forming in the Atlantic.

Although it poses no threat to land, Isaac’s formation means there are three named active storms in the Atlantic basin for the first time since August of last year, according to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach .

Tropical Storm Joyce, currently churning in mid-Atlantic, is not expected to become a hurricane and, like Isaac, poses no threat to land.

August and September are the statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on 1 June and runs until 30 November.

5.12pm BST

Helene's death toll at least 20 as Georgia first responder killed

Georgia’s governor Brian Kemp says a first responder is among at least 11 people killed in his state, lifting Hurricane Helene’s death toll across the south-eastern US to above 20.

“It is a very dangerous environment, and one of our finest has lost his life trying to save others,” Kemp said a late-morning media briefing.

“We’ve had 11 confirmed fatalities. I would ask all Georgians, like the Kemp family is doing, to keep these folks in these communities in your thoughts and prayers.”

Kemp said emergency crews were “having a hard time getting to places” because of storm damage, and urged residents to be patient.

“We got to get our chainsaw cut teams to continue working to free up roads, but we’ll have those resources moving as soon as it’s safe to do so,” he said, adding that authorities were scanning the state by air to identify the worst hit places.

Overall, Helene has claimed the lives of at least 20 people, according to a Guardian tally. Seven of the reported fatalities are in Florida, with others in North and South Carolina. Several of the deaths are attributed to trees falling on buildings.

Updated at 5.24pm BST

4.48pm BST

The National Weather Service (NWS) is warning residents near North Carolina’s Lake Lure dam to evacuate immediately because of its “imminent failure”.

The dam, at a hydro-electric plant in Rutherford county, is already overtopping with an excess of water from Hurricane Helene, threatening the safety and effective operation of the dam and hydro plant, according to its website .

Lake Lure, a popular spot for water-based recreation, covers 720 acres and holds billions of gallons.

The evacuation order came in an emergency alert posted by the NWS to X. “Dam failure imminent! Residents below the dam need to evacuate to higher ground immediately,” it said in the all-caps message.

Updated at 4.52pm BST

4.35pm BST

Five reported dead in Florida's Pinellas county

The sheriff of Florida’s Pinellas county, Bob Gualtieri , said at least five people were killed in separate locations at the height of the storm. He said a storm surge of more than 8ft left parts of the county looking like “a war zone”.

“Not everybody evacuated, and unfortunately, they called for help, and we couldn’t help a lot of the people who called as those conditions got very bad last night, and it was inaccessible,” he told reporters at a morning briefing, reported by CNN .

“We tried to launch boats, we tried to use high water vehicles, and we just got with too many obstacles, and we couldn’t get out there and effect some of those rescues.”

At least two of the deaths were drownings, Gualtieri said, but all five were attributable to the storm. He said it was possible the county’s death toll would rise as deputies went house to house.

“I can’t think of a time ever that Pinellas county has experienced the surge that we experienced last night and into the early morning,” he said.

4.17pm BST

North Carolina governor: Helene 'one of worst storms in modern history'

We’ve just heard an update from Roy Cooper , North Carolina’s governor, about the ongoing impact of Tropical Storm Helene. He says the storm is “one of the worst in modern history”.

Two people are confirmed dead in his state, he said in a video briefing to reporters. Heavy rain, flash flooding and downed trees blocking roads continue to hamper rescue and recovery efforts, while almost 900,000 customers in the state are without power:

This is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of western North Carolina. The end of the rain is not the end of the threat. This fierce storm will move out of our state in the next 24 hours, but the danger will not be over.

Tropical storm force winds that border on hurricane strength are happening right now. Across western North Carolina, trees are falling, causing widespread power outages.

Our hearts are heavy as we report two deaths, one in Catawba County due to a motor vehicle collision on a flooded roadway, and one in Charlotte due to a tree falling on home. There will be more.

Updated at 4.27pm BST

4.05pm BST

Jane Castor , the mayor of Tampa, Florida, took a helicopter ride with the city’s police department at first light Friday to evaluate the flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Helene’s historic storm surge that inundated parts of Tampa Bay.

“We’re seeing extensive damage on Davis Islands and waterfront areas. The National Guard has activated to help with rescue efforts,” Castor wrote in a tweet .

3.55pm BST

Hurricane center warns of 'historic and catastrophic flooding'

The center of what is now Tropical Storm Helene passed into North Carolina on Friday morning as forecasters warned of continuing “historic, catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding” across the south-eastern US.

In its 11am ET advisory, the National Hurricane Center said the storm’s maximum sustained windspeed had weakened to 45mph, far below the 140mph category 4 monster than slammed into Florida’s big bend area on Thursday night.

But they said Helene still posed a significant danger as its forward speed slowed and it dumped almost unprecedented amounts of rain over a wide area.

“Widespread significant river flooding is ongoing, some of which will be major to record breaking,” John Cangialosi, the NHC’s senior hurricane specialist, said.

“Damaging wind gusts will continue over portions of Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kentucky today, particularly over the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians.

“The expected slow motion could result in significant flooding over the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, and over the southern Appalachians through the weekend.”

Updated at 4.28pm BST

3.36pm BST

Atlanta’s mayor, Andre Dickens , has urged residents to stay home as rescue crews continue operations to reach those stranded by rising floodwaters.

First responders had conducted dozens of rescues and plucked at least 25 people to safety, many from rooftops, he said. A flash flood warning is still in effect for the city.

The Georgia governor, Brian Kemp , has just been on Fox News to reinforce the message:

We still have people trapped in homes that we’re trying to cut our way into. We have a lot of resources on the ground already, we’re calling up additional National Guard, and we’re going to throw everything we got at it.

Kemp said metro Atlanta appeared to have been spared significant wind damage. Several hospitals in southern Georgia were without power after Hurricane Helene knocked out backup generators, he said.

Updated at 4.29pm BST

3.25pm BST

A Georgia resident has spoken of her terror as a giant oak tree crashed through her home at the height of the storm.

Rhonda Bell and her husband spent a sleepless night in the downstairs bedroom of their century-old home just outside Valdosta , Georgia, the Associated Press reported.

The winds broke off tree limbs, tore away neighbors’ roof shingles and knocked down fence panels in the neighborhood with train tracks along one edge. Then an oak tree smashed through the roof of an upstairs bedroom and collapsed onto the living room below.

“I just felt the whole house shake,” Bell said. “Thank God we’re both alive to tell about it.”

3.07pm BST

Here is a selection of images sent to us over the news wires of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene’s deadly rampage across south-eastern US:

Updated at 3.09pm BST

2.50pm BST

Nasa says a crew of astronauts is set to launch from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday after engineers determined Hurricane Helene had caused no show-stopping damage.

Like many parts of Florida, the Cape Canaveral facility was lashed by tropical storm force winds on Thursday and overnight as Helene made its way north.

Normal operations at KSC resumed Friday, and launch of Crew 9 to the International Space Station, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is set for no earlier than 1.17pm Saturday, the space agency said in a tweet.

Updated at 3.03pm BST

2.29pm BST

At least 4.2m without power in south-eastern US

The number of customers without power in the south-eastern US had risen to 4.2m by 9am ET, according to poweroutage.us .

Almost 1.4m of those are in South Carolina , with Florida and Georgia also each topping one million, the site reported. Elsewhere, large areas of North Carolina , and some parts of Tennessee , are out.

Updated at 3.04pm BST

2.17pm BST

DeSantis: rescues 'saved a lot of lives' in Florida

Rescue crews in Florida performed “thousands of missions” and “saved a lot of lives” overnight, Ron DeSantis just told a media briefing:

As soon as it was safe to do, and even in many cases [when it] probably wasn’t perfectly safe, search and rescue operations were conducted to help people in distress and transport them to safety.

These missions continue, but we’ve had thousands of missions successfully completed in the overnight hours throughout the state. This is our local first responders in conjunction with state assets, and state assets directly going in and effectuating rescues, that’s the National Guard, that’s Florida Fish and Wildlife.

The Florida governor said that despite “a really historic storm surge” in many areas, including Tampa Bay, he was not aware of any fatalities from rising water:

They’re going to be doing broader search and rescue in those areas that did get hit, and see if there’s any other problems, or if there’s any folks that are still left behind. But as of now, we don’t have reports of that, and so those missions were successful, and those missions saved a lot of lives.

The governor said a second reported Florida death from Helene came in Dixie county when a tree fell on a house. Another person was killed in a traffic incident on Thursday night, he said.

Updated at 3.05pm BST

2.02pm BST

Helene's reported death toll rises to at least 10

Numbers of those killed by Hurricane Helene’s rampage through the south-eastern US continued to rise on Friday. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported six people killed just in Georgia .

Two people in Laurens county, and two others in Jeff Davis county, died in incidents involving falling trees, the newspaper said. Two people were killed when a suspected tornado flipped their mobile home, according to the report.

Reported fatalities elsewhere include a four-year-old girl in a storm-related accident, and person killed by a falling tree in their home, both in North Carolina ; and two dead in Florida in separate incidents.

Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis is expected to update reporters imminently about the situation in his state.

Updated at 3.05pm BST

1.49pm BST

Some perspective of Hurricane Helene’s strength from veteran meteorologist and hurricane watcher Jeff Masters , who says the storm was the eighth category 4 or 5 cyclone to make landfall in the last eight years.

By contrast, that’s exactly the same number from the previous 57 years combined.

My colleague Oliver Milman has this analysis of the effect of the climate emergency on hurricane activity. He writes:

“Not only is the burning of fossil fuels and other human activity the cause of 100% of warming since 1950 , scientists say it is also causing hurricanes like Helene to become fiercer and accelerate more quickly .

The average intensification rate of hurricanes today is nearly 30% greater than it was before the 1990s due to a hotter atmosphere and oceans, according to a study published last year . The path of Helene across the Gulf of Mexico has been exceptionally hot this year, with this increased heat made at least 200 times more likely due to human-caused climate change, according to Climate Central .

Read more:

Related: Hurricane Helene blows climate deniers Trump and Vance off course again

1.39pm BST

A sailor and his dog were rescued from the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday during the storm after their boat became disabled and took on water 25 miles from Sanibel Island, the US Coast Guard said.

1.32pm BST

Fema chief reports 'over 600 rescues'

Emergency crews have performed more than 600 rescue operations across the south-eastern US, with more still under way, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has said.

Deanne Criswell gave the update to CNN, telling the network that crews were hampered by flooding, fallen trees and storm debris in multiple areas:

We’ve had all of our search and rescue teams engaged throughout the evening. In fact, we’ve done over 600 rescues, not just Fema and federal resources, but the state and local resources as well.

[Teams] are still actively engaged doing search and rescue, helping people get off roofs or get from their homes into a safe area.

This is still a very dangerous situation. If you’re still in the path of the storm… I’m worried about landslides. There’s such a variety of threats coming from the storm. There are reports of tornadoes.

Updated at 3.06pm BST

1.16pm BST

A fifth person reported killed by now-Tropical Storm Helene was trapped inside a home by a fallen tree in Charlotte , North Carolina, authorities said. A second person in the home was rescued. Other fatalities were reported in Florida and Georgia.

1.07pm BST

Hello, this is Richard Luscombe in Florida picking up our live blog coverage of Hurricane Helene ’s impact on the south-eastern US.

Daylight here within the last hour has given hundreds of thousands of people their first glimpse of the devastation caused by the category 4 hurricane that swept ashore shortly after 11pm local time last night.

At least five people were killed, a death toll expected to rise; more than three million people are without power; storm watches and warnings have been posted in 12 states; and a flash flood advisory is in place in Atlanta .

Ron DeSantis , Florida’s governor, is expected to give an update within the next hour. Helene, meanwhile, has been downgraded to a tropical storm, but is still dumping rain and causing havoc over a wide area.

Stick with us for the latest developments.

Updated at 3.07pm BST

12.51pm BST

Flash flood emergencies have also been declared in several counties in South Carolina, North Carolina and other parts of Georgia.

The National Weather Service’s X account has been posting counties that are under threat of severe flooding today.

12.41pm BST

Flash flood emergency issued for Atlanta area

A flash flood emergency has been issued for the Atlanta area in Georgia, where tropical storm Helene is now wreaking havoc.

Atlanta-Fulton county posted to social media warning people to not walk or drive in the flooded areas.

Updated at 12.52pm BST

12.34pm BST

3 million without power as 'life-threatening' conditions batter south-east US

At least 3 million people were without power early Friday, according to poweroutage.us , as Tropical Storm Helene continued to thrash its way through Georgia after making landfall in Florida as a category 4 hurricane.

The millions without power include 1.2 million in Florida, 974,000 in Georgia, 974,000 in South Carolina and 330,000 in North Carolina, according to poweroutage.us.

The National Hurricane Center’s 5am advisory warned of “catastrophic, life-threatening, record-breaking flash & urban flooding.” The storm is expected to continue inland in Georgia.

11.53am BST

Watch footage of swamped neighbourhoods as Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida.

11.27am BST

Storm watches and warnings are in place in 12 states, CNN reports .

Six states have declared emergencies.

Updated at 11.28am BST

10.29am BST

More than 1.28 million homes and businesses in Florida were without power today, Reuters reported.

10.04am BST

Helene weakens to tropical storm as life-threatening winds and rains continue

The National Hurricane Center has said Helene is now a tropical storm as it moves farther inland over Georgia. It noted that “life-threatening storm surge, winds, and heavy rains continue.”

Updated at 10.04am BST

9.49am BST

In a 4am update, the National Hurricane Center said “Helene continues to move inland over central Georgia and is producing hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall.”

“This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the center said.

“A University of Georgia weather station in Vidalia, Georgia recently reported a wind gust of 77 mph (124 km/h). An ASOS station at The Savannah International Airport in Georgia recently reported a sustained wind of 49 mph (79 km/h) with a gust to 76 mph (122 km/h),” it added.

Updated at 9.53am BST

9.29am BST

Joe Biden has said he is “closely tracking Hurricane Helene.”

“I urge everyone in and near the path of Helene to listen to local officials and follow evacuation warnings,” he said.

9.28am BST

Hurricane force winds move further into Georgia

The National Hurricane Center said in a 3am update that “Helene continues to produce hurricane force winds that are moving further into Georgia.”

“This is an dangerous and life-threatening situation. Persons should not leave their shelters and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions. When in the eye, people are reminded to not venture out in the relative calm, as hazardous winds will increase very quickly when the center passes,” it said.

9.20am BST

Tell us: have you been affected by Hurricane Helene?

If you have been impacted by the storm, we would like to hear from you. Please share your story if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you wish.

However, your safety and security are most important. When recording, or sharing your content with us, please put your welfare and the welfare of others first. Extreme weather events can be very unpredictable and carry very real risks.

Related: Tell us: have you been affected by Hurricane Helene?

9.20am BST

What is a storm surge, and what is the threat from Hurricane Helene?

Hurricane Helene is expected to bring life-threatening storm surges as high as 20ft (6 meters) to Florida’s coast.

The governors of Florida , Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have declared emergencies in their states.

In Florida , the huge storm surges from the initial landfall have been prominent in the warnings from officials, who described Helene as an unusually large storm with a wind field extending 275 miles (440km) from its center.

Related: What is a storm surge, and what is the threat from Hurricane Helene?

9.20am BST

Hurricane Helene is the most powerful storm to hit the US mainland since Idalia , which barreled into Florida on 30 August last year at Keaton Beach.

Similar in strength, and location at landfall, to Helene, Idalia followed an almost identical path through the Gulf of Mexico on its way to becoming the third strongest cyclone to strike Florida’s Big Bend.

Such was its strength that Florida’s famous flamingos were spotted as far north as Ohio and Pennsylvania in the storm’s aftermath. Idalia was blamed for 12 fatalities in the US, and caused damage estimated at $3.6bn . Officials fear Helene’s toll could prove much worse.

These are the five most costly hurricanes in the US, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): 1, Katrina 2005 ($200bn damage; 1,200 deaths); 2, Harvey 2017 ($160bn; 107); 3, Ian 2022 ($118.5bn; 161); 4, Maria 2017 ($115.2bn; 3,059); 5, Sandy 2012 ($88.5bn; 233).

9.20am BST

Nasa astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting 260 miles above Earth recorded this video of Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday.

The footage shows the storm, at the time packing winds of 100mph, beginning to grow in size and intensity in the hours immediately before landfall.

ISS and satellite imagery from space have proven invaluable following previous hurricanes, helping officials to assess the extent of damage and plan recovery and restoration efforts.

9.20am BST

Helene might not be the strongest hurricane to ravage the US, but it’s certainly one of the largest.

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), it’s bigger in size than 90% of all other tropical cyclones to have formed in the Atlantic or Caribbean in the past 20 years, with a wind field almost 500 miles wide. That’s the same distance from Indianapolis to Washington DC, CNN says , or from London to Glasgow.

It means areas far inland that usually escape the ravages of even the most powerful of storms will be affected this time. In a lunchtime advisory Thursday, NHC senior hurricane specialist John Cangialosi said strong gusts could be expected in northern Georgia, the Carolinas, and the southern Appalachians:

Helene is a very large hurricane. In fact, comparing the system with previous hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico over the past couple of decades, Helene is at the upper bound in terms of size.

As a result, storm surge, wind, and rainfall impacts will extend far away from the center and well outside the forecast cone, particularly on the east side.

By Thursday evening, the entire state of Florida was under storm watches or warnings, and governor Ron DeSantis had declared a state of emergency in 61 of 67 counties.

North Carolina ’s governor Roy Cooper warned of “significant flash flooding, landslides, damaging debris flows, slope failures across steep terrain and river flooding” in his state.

“Even areas that typically don’t experience it may see flooding,” he said.

9.20am BST

At least 3 killed as Hurricane Helene makes landfall

Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Florida Big Bend region at around 11:10pm EDT on Thursday, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC). As it made landfall, Helene was one of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit Florida.

The storm weakened to a Category 1 overnight.

At least three people have died, according to CNN. One died after a sign fell and hit a car in Florida, and two in Georgia when they were caught in a tornado related to the storm.

Updated at 9.21am BST