As of 11 p.m. ET, Hurricane Helene remains a powerful Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 140 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The eye of the hurricane has begun to come ashore in Florida's Big Bend region, signaling the start of the landfall process.
Official landfall will be declared once at least half of the eye crosses over onto land, a milestone expected to occur within the next 30 minutes. Despite this technicality, the impact of Helene is already being felt with torrential rain, destructive winds, and dangerous storm surge affecting the region.
