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Hurricane Helene tracker: Timeline when rain, wind gusts, tornado threat arrives in Central Florida

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Updated  September 26, 2024 5:56pm EDT
Hurricane Helene
FOX 35 Orlando

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ORLANDO, Fla. - Helene, a Category 3 hurricane, is expected to make landfall over Florida on Thursday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

What time is Hurricane Helene making landfall in Florida?

The dangerous storm is forecast to continue strengthening over the Gulf of Mexico before it makes landfall near Tallahassee.

According to the latest data, landfall is expected between the hours of 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Thursday. However, the NHC said it is still too soon to pinpoint an exact location and time since track forecasts can be off by an average of 60 nm at the 36-hour forecast time.

After making landfall, Helene is expected to weaken, however, due to the storm's size, speed, and strength, strong, damaging winds are possible for much of the inland southeastern United States. 

Where is Hurricane Helene?

Hurricane Helene is 170 miles west-southwest of Tampa, and 205 miles south of Apalachicola, the National Hurricane Center said in a rare, 2:25 p.m. update on Thursday. The storm is moving north-northeast at 16 mph, which is 2 mph faster than the 11 a.m. update.

Helene had sustained winds of 120 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane. To be a Cat. 4 hurricane, sustained winds have to be between 130-156 mph. 

The minimum central pressure is 959 mb.

How will Hurricane Helene impact Orlando, Central Florida?

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