Storm Tracker

Helene has now been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, but it continues to bring damaging wind gusts across Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Kentucky. There remains a risk of long-duration power outages throughout parts of the southeastern United States as the storm moves inland.

In response to the widespread impacts caused by Hurricane Helene, All Hands and Hearts has committed to a 12-month response to support affected communities and assist with long-term recovery efforts.

Hurricane Helene made a historic landfall last night as the only known Category 4 hurricane to hit Florida’s Big Bend since records began in 1851. The storm came ashore around 11 PM near Perry, FL, southwest of Tallahassee, and has since moved inland. Now weakened to a tropical storm, Helene is currently over Georgia but continues to bring life-threatening rain, wind, and flooding throughout the Southeast. Damages are expected to be widespread and varied.

More than 1 million Floridians are waking up without power, still feeling the storm’s aftereffects. As Helene passes, All Hands and Hearts is prepared to move in and assess the damages. Our Florida team, safely sheltered in Orlando, is also feeling Helene’s impact, while homeowners in Ft. Myers are already reporting rising water levels and damage in their area.

The scale of our response is still being evaluated, but a team will be in the affected area as soon as it is safe.

Hurricane Helene continues to produce catastrophic winds, now pushing further inland over the Florida Big Bend and Florida Panhandle, with impacts soon reaching southeastern Georgia. This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Helene is currently located about 45 miles east-southeast of Tallahassee, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The storm is moving north-northeast at 24 mph, continuing its rapid inland progression.

Located about 65 miles south of Tallahassee, the eyewall of the extremely dangerous Category 4 Hurricane Helene is now beginning to move ashore along Florida’s Big Bend coast. Helene is producing catastrophic winds, which will spread across the Big Bend region over the next few hours. Maximum sustained winds have reached 140 mph, with even higher gusts reported. 

Hurricane Helene is now located approximately 170 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, and continues to intensify. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds extend outward as far as 345 miles. According to Air Force Hurricane Hunters, Helene’s wind speeds have increased to 120 mph, making it a Category 3 major hurricane. This rapid intensification elevates the threat to coastal and inland areas.

All Hands and Hearts remains on high alert and ready to respond, with teams prepared to mobilize in the storm’s aftermath to support impacted communities.

Helene has become a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained wind speeds of 100 mph. While moving north-northeast at 12 mph, a significant increase in forward speed is expected over the next 24 hours. Forecasts still anticipate Helene becoming a major hurricane before making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend. All Hands and Hearts’ Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is staged in Louisiana and prepared to deploy to the affected areas as soon as it is safe. 

Currently located 460 miles southwest of Tampa, Hurricane Helene continues to strengthen with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and is moving at 12 mph. The National Hurricane Center now forecasts deadly storm surges that could reach up to 20 feet above ground level along parts of the coast.

Having responded to Hurricane Ian in Florida over the past two years, All Hands and Hearts is fully prepared to support response efforts for this major event. Our teams are ready to assist affected communities once Helene makes landfall.

Hurricane Helene has strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. Additional intensification is expected, with Helene forecast to become a Category 3 major hurricane by the time it makes landfall on Florida’s Big Bend coast Thursday evening. While Helene will likely weaken after landfall, its rapid forward movement will carry strong, damaging winds far inland, affecting the southeastern United States as far north as the Tennessee Valley.

Given Helene’s large size, there is a significant risk of life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of Florida and the Florida Big Bend. A Tropical Storm Warning has been extended northward to include the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, with tropical storm conditions expected within the next 36 hours in the warning area. Helene is on track to become one of the fastest-evolving storms, rapidly progressing from a potential tropical cyclone to a major hurricane.

All Hands and Hearts has positioned the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and is prepared to support communities in the aftermath of the storm. Donate today.

Tropical Storm Helene is currently moving northwest at 9 mph with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and stronger gusts. On its projected path, the center of Helene will pass near the Yucatan Peninsula this morning, crossing the eastern Gulf of Mexico later today and Thursday. Landfall is expected along Florida’s Big Bend coast late Thursday. Helene will be upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as soon as sustained wind speeds reach 74 mph, with rapid strengthening likely. The storm is expected to surpass Category 1 and intensify into a Category 3 major hurricane, with wind speeds exceeding 110 mph.

All Hands and Hearts is actively monitoring the progress of Helene as it moves toward the Gulf Coast.

Tropical Storm Helene has formed over the northwestern Caribbean Sea, moving at 12 mph with sustained winds near 45 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 140 miles east of the center. We are closely monitoring Tropical Storm Helene which is expected to strengthen into Hurricane Helene. Forecast models indicate rapid intensification into a major hurricane within 48 hours as it tracks toward Florida’s Big Bend, following a similar path to Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricane Debby earlier this year. If Helene makes landfall, it would be the fourth named storm to hit the U.S. this season, potentially the strongest in over a year.