Hurricane Helene's arrival in Florida is expected to bring a life-threatening storm surge of up to 20 feet for some parts of the state.
A Storm Surge Warning is in place for the entire Florida coastline, including the Tampa Bay region. Remember: hide from the wind; run from the water.
The worst storm surge is expected to be from Citrus County northward around the Big Bend to approximately Carrabelle. A storm surge of 15-20 feet above ground level is possible across all of that region and residents along the coast are being encouraged to evacuate.
Forecast Storm Surge Values
- Citrus County and northward: 15 - 20 feet
- Hernando and Pasco County: 8 - 15 feet
- Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee Counties: 5 - 8 feet
- Sarasota County: 4 - 7 feet
The life-threatening storm surge could start to retreat after midnight Friday morning.
Here's more information about storm surge and an explanation of storm surge warnings:
HURRICANE RESOURCES
Pasco County woman trying to rebuild mobile home after hurricanes
"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice, which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Kelly Welty said.
Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton. She said it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.