COLUMBUS, Ohio — Hurricane Helene is now a Category 4 storm as of Thursday evening and is developing and strengthening before it’s expected to make landfall in Florida late Thursday or early Friday morning.
This storm will bring a large area of strong to damaging winds and heavy rain across the deep south. Hurricane and flash flood warnings extend far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia.
It was already starting to be felt Thursday afternoon, with tropical storm force winds hitting the state and water lapping over a road on the northern tip of Siesta Key near Sarasota. Rain has started battering places like Asheville, North Carolina, where a 7-inch (18-centimeter) deluge has raised flooding concerns…