Hurricane Helene, a Category 3 storm, is heading toward Florida's Big Bend with potentially deadly storm surge

Hurricane Helene strengthened into a dangerous severe storm Thursday as it continued to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico on a path for Florida's Big Bend area, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The hurricane center said the storm would make landfall Thursday evening, with “catastrophic and deadly” storm surges and strong, damaging winds expected in some areas.

“This is a life-threatening situation,” the hurricane center said. “Persons in these areas should take all necessary measures to protect life and property from rising water and possible other hazardous conditions.”

Helene strengthened herself to one Category 2 The storm blew with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour Thursday morning and Thursday afternoon, making it a Category 3 hurricane, which forecasters classify as a major hurricane. The hurricane center said Helene will likely be a major Category 3 hurricane when it hits Florida's northwest coast Thursday evening.

After making landfall, the storm is expected to move inland over Georgia. Severe flooding is possible in the Southeast, with half a foot of rain forecast in Atlanta and 10 to 20 inches forecast in a narrow strip of the southern Appalachians.

Helene's external bands hammered across the entire west coast of Florida on Thursday morning. In the Big Bend region south of Tallahassee, Gulf waters spilled over barriers and flooded roads.

Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents to move to higher ground as quickly as possible. “Every minute that passes brings us closer to conditions that are simply too dangerous to navigate,” DeSantis said.

At the White House, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency urged people to take the threat of storm surges seriously. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said most of the 150 people were killed Hurricane Ian in 2022 died by drowning.

“Remember that you may only need to travel 10 or 15 miles inland to escape the threat of the storm surge itself, as water is the primary reason people lose their lives in these storms, so please do not underestimate.” what impact that could have,” Criswell said.

Criswell said widespread power outages are expected in Florida and she will travel to the region on Friday to assess the damage.

Several Airports closed Airlines canceled hundreds of flights because of the storm.

The giant storm's hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 60 miles from its center, and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 345 miles, the hurricane center said.

Radar map of Florida

Ahead of Helene's expected arrival in Florida, this radar map shows precipitation across the state.

CBS News senior weather and climate producer David Parkinson called Helene a “gigantic” storm and noted that Helene “will have a wind field so large that there will be a point (Thursday afternoon) where in 60 of Florida's 67 counties will all experience “tropical storm force” wind gusts of 39 mph, excluding the western panhandle.

A Category 3 storm could cause significant damage or tearing of roofing to well-built frame homes in the hardest-hit coastal communities, the hurricane center said. Many trees are snapped or uprooted and block the roads. Electricity and water will likely be unavailable for several days to even weeks after the storm.

DeSantis said Wednesday that thousands of line workers were coming to the state to restore power after the storm passes.

In Florida's Big Bend area, from Carrabelle to the Suwannee River, forecasters expected water to reach 15 to 20 feet above ground level Storm surgeThe peak occurred at the same time as the flood. Other areas could see water depths of 3 to 15 feet, the hurricane center warned. 15 to 20 feet of water would be enough to cover a two-story home, Parkinson pointed out.

“The water impact will likely be the most impactful and deadly part of the storm,” Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the hurricane center, told CBS News.

Watches and warnings were issued across Florida ahead of the storm.

President Biden and DeSantis declared a state of emergency in the state earlier this week Evacuation orders were issued in several counties. At the University of Tampa, officials attempted to evacuate all residential students by Wednesday afternoon.

DeSantis advised Florida residents against traveling hundreds of miles from their homes to escape the storm because Helene was expected to move inland after landfall. Instead, he urged people to move to higher ground in their own area by going to a friend or family member's house or to an emergency shelter.

A state of emergency has also been declared in Georgia, North and South Carolina, and as far north as Virginia.

Florida is preparing for Hurricane Helene

Residents lived along the west coast of Florida Preparing for the storm by boarding up windows, refueling their vehicles and filling sandbags before Helene strikes, potentially dangerously.

In Tallahassee, Dorothy Richardson prepared to settle down with six of her grandchildren.

“Whatever the outcome, I have to prepare,” Richardson said. “I got my sandbags… got my coal, got my lighter fluid, got my propane tank.”

Russell King prepared to evacuate his home in Mexico Beach. He said the house barely survived Hurricane Michael in 2018.

“We lost our shower, we lost our elevator, we lost all of our downstairs walls,” King said. “We think we're OK with it now, but we don't know – at 125 miles an hour they break.”

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey said the city is doubling its workforce, with crews coming in from other states to help restore power and provide relief supplies to the region after the Helene accident.

“It’s very concerning,” Dailey said. “I’m from Tallahassee, which is my hometown. We have never seen a storm of this magnitude that could potentially directly impact Tallahassee.”

Further south, in Tampa, a temporary wall was erected in front of Tampa General Hospital to prevent water from entering the nearby bay. The area was expected to experience a storm surge of 5 to 8 feet. Officials said the wall held back about 2 1/2 feet of water last year Hurricane Idalia Blow.

Warm water in the Gulf fuels hurricanes

Record-warm water in the Gulf would act as fuel, strengthening the storm. Brian McNoldy, a senior research fellow at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, recently noted this Heat content of the oceans in the Gulf of Mexico is the highest on record. Warm water is a necessary component for strengthening tropical systems.

Sea surface temperatures along Helene's path are as high as 89 degrees Fahrenheit – 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. According to Climate Central, these record water temperatures were made significantly more likely by human-caused climate change. The entire North Atlantic experienced record temperatures in 2024, trapping 90% of excess heat Climate change produced by Greenhouse gas pollution.

Manuel Bojorquez, Aimee Picchi and Dave Malkoff contributed to this report.