Submerged cars, no road in sight: Atlanta faces major flooding as Helene hits Georgia

After hitting northwest Florida and unleashing dangerous weather conditions across multiple states in the southeast, Helene weakened to a tropical storm as it ripped through Georgia early Friday, but still caused life-threatening flooding in Atlanta and knocked out power for millions.

Helene made landfall at about 11:10 p.m. ET near Perry, Florida, on Thursday with 140-mph winds, making it the first known Category 4 storm to hit the state's Big Bend region since records began in 1851, USA TODAY reported. For several hours, the storm maintained hurricane strength as it pushed inland across northern Florida and into Georgia. Authorities across the southeast were rescuing residents trapped in rising floodwaters as Helene soaked much of the region in torrential rain.

While Helene was downgraded into a tropical storm with sustained winds of 60 mph, according to an 8 a.m. ET update by the National Hurricane Center, Atlanta is experiencing major flooding, and Mayor Andre Dickens officially declared a state of emergency for the city, a government advisory said .

"This declaration will allow us to access vital federal and state resources to expedite our recovery efforts and ensure the safety and well-being of all Atlanta residents," the mayor said in a statement.

At least 22,000 power outages were reported in metro Atlanta, while 25 power lines are down, the city said More than 20 water rescues took place in the Peachtree Battle area of the city. Photos from the city show submerged cars, fallen trees and water inundating streets and houses. City officials said in a 2:30 p.m. advisory that authorities have begun the storm repair and tree removal process. Residents have been asked to notify authorities of flooding or downed trees through the City of Atlanta 311 service.

City authorities have also urged residents to monitor local weather advisories and exercise precautions to avoid danger.

Track the storm: Map Helene's forecast path through Georgia

Photos: Atlanta experiences major flooding as Helene hits Georgia

Georgia power outages

In Georgia alone, more than a million people were without power as of about 7:30 a.m. Friday, according to USA TODAY's tracker . Chatham County had the most residents without power, at 113,212 reported outages.

This story was updated to add more information and photographs.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Christopher Cann, Trevor Hughes, Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Submerged cars, no road in sight: Atlanta faces major flooding as Helene hits Georgia