Jacksonville Fire and Rescue crews deal with a downed tree as the first gusts of wind from Hurricane Helene arrived in Jacksonville around 6 p.m. on Sept. 26, 2024. | JFRD via X
Published on September 26, 2024 at 6:33 pm
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Shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday, Category 4 Hurricane Helene made landfall in Dekle Beach
in Taylor County, packing 140 mph winds, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced.
One person in Florida has been killed in the storm, in Ybor City, when they were hit by a falling sign, DeSantis said, as he urged people to continue to shelter in place as hurricane-force winds extend to the east and west of Taylor County, including Tallahassee’s Leon County.
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“Treat it almost like a tornado that’s going by you,” DeSantis said.
The governor also predicted more loss of life and loss of homes once the storm passes.
“It’s just when a storm is this big and this strong, there are a lot of things that can happen,” he said.
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He also warned people not to enter standing water or touch downed power lines and to not try to clean up debris while it’s still dark in the early morning. He said almost every storm causes someone to die falling off a ladder when they try to clean off their roof.
“An Extreme Wind Warning has been issued. Extreme winds will be moving onshore and impacting the Big Bend over the next few hours. This is an extremely dangerous situation. TAKE COVER NOW,” Florida Storms warned at around 9 p.m.
As the hurricane inched closer, a catastrophic and deadly storm surge also started inundating parts of the Panhandle and Big Bend.
State Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said many Panhandle roads are under water, and he urges those who evacuated to verify roads are passable before trying to drive home.
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville continues to warn of potential flash flooding, hazardous driving and possible tornadoes in Northeast Florida, as the service itself became a casualty of the storm’s high winds:
NWS Jacksonville has lost power and so KJAX & KVAX radars are down. @NWSNewOrleans has assumed backup for us. Please take shelter overnight as Helene makes landfall and heed all warnings. #flwx #gawx
— NWS Jacksonville (@NWSJacksonville) September 27, 2024
JEA reported about 28,387 customers were without power as of 11:36 p.m., Clay Electric reported nearly 58,000, and Florida Power and Light was aware of nearly 236,000 customers without power.
Storm Surge
Up to 20 feet of storm surge was projected across the Big Bend including the Apalachicola area, up to 8 feet across the west portion of west-Central Florida, and 1 to 3 feet along the Atlantic coast north of the Flagler-Volusia County line, including Jacksonville.
Flash floods likely
Rainfall chances in Jacksonville have declined, but moderate flooding remains possible, especially along the St. Johns River. The Hurricane Center gives Jacksonville at least a 15% chance of flash flooding.
A tropical storm warning remains in effect all along the East Coast of Florida
Some heavy rains across the state have thunderstorms embedded in them. A tornado watch has expired across South Florida but continues to be in effect for areas north of Lake Okeechobee.
Copyright 2024 Storm Center
