Helene was upgraded to a major Category 3 storm Thursday afternoon ahead of its expected evening landfall on Florida’s northwestern coast. Hurricane and flash flood warnings extend far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia.

Meteorologists monitoring Hurricane Helene expect it to become a major hurricane Thursday morning before making a Florida Panhandle landfall in the evening. Helene couldl bring strong winds, intense storm surge and heavy rain to a wide swath of Florida’s Gulf Coast, including the Tampa Bay area.