Hurricane Helene: Here's when, where Helene is expected to hit Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. - UPDATE: Helene strengthened to become a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday and was forecast to become a powerful Category 4 hurricane before landfall on Thursday evening in Florida's Big Bend region. Click here for the latest Hurricane Helene Tracker. This story will not be updated.

Original story below:

Hurricane Helene is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane before it makes landfall over Florida's Big Bend Region on Thursday.

Parts of Florida are under tropical storm, hurricane, and storm surge watches and warnings. Several schools, colleges, and universities have announced closures ahead of the storm. Regardless of where Helene makes landfall, its impact will be felt in Central Florida.

• Timeline: When Hurricane Helene is expected to arrive in Florida; county-by-county impacts
• List: School closures ahead of Hurricane Helene

Here's the latest on Hurricane Helene's path, cone, spaghetti models, and when the worst of the weather could impact Central Florida.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:

• Download the FOX 35 News app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines
• Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar
• Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines
• FOX Local: Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV