By jovannig @Adobe Stock
Joe Barrett, Deborah Acosta, Ginger Adams Otis, and Victoria Albert of The Wall Street Journal report that forecasters warn of potentially ‘unsurvivable conditions’ in some areas as Helene makes landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. They write:
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm Thursday night, after forecasters warned of pounding rain and storm surge that could create “unsurvivable conditions” in some areas.
Helene made landfall at approximately 11:10 p.m. near Perry, Fla., in the state’s Big Bend region, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 140 mph.
The hurricane center said before landfall that catastrophic storm surge and life-threatening winds were expected to pummel the area, calling Helene an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane.” Rain, wind and coastal surge were lashing the Sunshine State by late afternoon.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference Thursday night that he had received a report of a person who was killed when a sign fell onto a car on an interstate. […]
Tampa’s and Tallahassee’s international airports said they would suspend operations ahead of the storm, and several universities in the state said they would close.
Over 1,200 domestic and international flights in and out of the U.S. were canceled and 5,600 delayed as of Thursday evening. About 400 flights into and out of Tampa International Airport were canceled, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
Read more here.
