The worst is yet to come.
There have been scattered showers with a few wind gusts so far on Thursday. At 2:25 p.m., Hurricane Helene became a major hurricane when Hurricane Hunters reported 120 mph winds. Helene will continue toward the Panhandle and will make landfall as a major hurricane around 9 p.m.
* Hurricane Helene continues to strengthen as it moves north toward the Big Bend Tonight
* Hurricane warning for the Suwannee Valley and portions of inland southeast GA
* Tropical Storm Warning for the rest of northeast FL & Southeast GA
* The tornado threat Increases through tonight
* Rip Currents, and dangerous marine conditions through Friday morning
* Moderate Tidal Flooding and Flash Flooding possible tonight
* Lingering Tidal Flooding in the St. Johns River Friday
Evening: Wind and rain will increase as the storm heads north-northeast at 16 mph. Rainfall estimates through sunrise Friday, 2-4 inches.
Tonight: Tornado Watch through 10 p.m. Tropical Impacts with Hurricane force wind gusts possible near I-75 with Tropical Storm force wind gusts from Highway 301 to the beaches. A significant, possibly catastrophic, storm surge is expected along the Gulf Coast of 10 - 15 ft. Tidal flooding and surge possible along the St. Johns River, beaches and ICW of up to 3 feet above normal high tide values. The worst of the storm will move through after sunset.
Friday: Improving weather as rain ends and the wind gusts subside. A chance of showers will continue at around 30-40% for NE FL and around 50% for SE GA.
Looking ahead: Partly cloudy with seasonal afternoon highs and a few showers this weekend.
Sunrise: 7:18 a.m.
Sunset: 7:17 p.m.