Hurricane Helene is forecast to reach Florida as a Category 3 hurricane Thursday night, bringing winds over 100 mph and high storm surge that could knock out power for thousands across the state.
Power outages began to tick up Thursday morning near Cape Coral and Naples as southwest Florida began to feel the impact of a line of storms. More than 30,000 homes and businesses were without power, as of Thursday at 8 a.m. ET.
Early Thursday morning, Helene was located about 350 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida and was moving toward the north-northeast at 12 mph, according to the hurricane center. This motion is expected to continue with a "significant increase in forward speed" during the next 24 hours.
Helene is forecast to move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico Thursday and across the Florida Big Bend coast Thursday evening or early Friday morning, according to the NHC. After landfall, the storm is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.
Landfall will most likely reach the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle late Thursday, according to the NHC, as well as the Big Bend area. Around 8-12 inches of rain are expected where Helene makes landfall with some isolated areas possibly facing 2 feet of rain.
Helene's path includes urban areas like Tallahassee, Florida, and Atlanta, as well as Asheville, North Carolina, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Follow along below for the latest power outage numbers in Florida as Helene washes ashore.
Live updates:Helene strengthens to Category 2, closing in on Florida
Hurricane Helene tracker:See projected path of 'catastrophic' storm as Florida braces
As of 8 a.m. ET Thursday, Florida was reporting just over 32,000 power outages across the state, according to a USA TODAY power outage tracker. That number is expected to grow as Helene approaches the state's Gulf Coast.
There were over 8,000 outages reported in Collier County, over 6,000 in Broward County and over 8,000 in Lee County.
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