Nasa has released breathtaking live footage of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall on Florida‘s eastern coast tonight as a powerful Category 4 storm. Cameras aboard the International Space Station recorded eight minutes of live video as the hurricane passed over the southeastern United States at 12.50pm EDT (1650 GMT).
As of Thursday, officials have warned of “unsurvivable” conditions associated with the hurricane, which is expected to bring a catastrophic storm surge potentially high enough to inundate two-storey homes.Tens of thousands of people are already without power, and many roads have flooded ahead of what is anticipated to be one of the largest storms to hit the Gulf of Mexico in decades.
Live Views of Hurricane Helene from the International Space Station
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Hurricane Helene intensified to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm on Thursday evening, with maximum sustained winds reaching 140 mph (225 kph). It is moving toward the Big Bend area, south of Tallahassee, with landfall expected around 11:00 p.m. (0300 GMT).
“Everyone along the Florida Big Bend coast is at risk of potentially catastrophic storm surge,” the NHC stated on social media. Airports in Tampa and Tallahassee have closed, while parts of St. Petersburg, downtown Tampa, Sarasota, and Treasure Island are already experiencing flooding.
Approximately 525,000 homes and businesses are currently without power, according to the tracking site PowerOutage.us. NHC director Mike Brennan warned of a storm surge inundation of 15 to 20 feet above ground level, potentially submerging the tops of second-storey buildings. He emphasised the danger, stating that the accompanying waves could destroy houses and move vehicles, with water levels expected to rise rapidly.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in northwestern Florida around 11:10 p.m. EDT, near the mouth of the Aucilla River, only 20 miles from where Hurricane Idalia struck last year, causing significant damage. Forecasters are urging residents to prepare for a “nightmare” storm surge, dangerous winds, and heavy rainfall across much of the southeastern United States.