XPost: alt.talk.weather, ne.weather, fl.general   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics   
   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   Hurricane Helene intensified into a monster Category 4 storm on Thursday   
   evening as it neared landfall on Florida's Big Bend region.   
      
   "Helene is now an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane," the National   
   Hurricane Center said in an update. The storm had maximum sustained winds   
   up to 140 mph.   
      
   Forecasters have been sounding the alarm, with the NHC warning that Helene   
   — an unusually large and rapidly intensifying storm — could bring a "life-   
   threatening" storm surge of 15 to 20 feet in parts of Florida's Gulf   
   Coast.   
      
   Helene's impact was felt far ahead of its projected landfall, as power had   
   been knocked out to 500,000 customers in Florida and flooding reported up   
   and down the coast Thursday evening. That's because of its uncommon size,   
   with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noting Helene's   
   "wind field extends as far as 275 miles from its center." The effects of   
   Helene will be felt as far inland as the Appalachian Mountains.   
      
   Here are the latest developments from Yahoo News on the storm. For live   
   blog updates in Spanish, click here, and for more details on the forecast,   
   visit our hurricane tracker.   
      
      
   8 mins ago   
   Nicole Darrah, David Knowles   
   Helene now packing 140 m.p.h. winds, National Hurricane Center says   
   Hurricane Helene is now packing sustained winds of 140 m.p.h. close to its   
   eyewall as it approaches Florida's coastline, the National Hurricane   
   Center said at 9 p.m. ET.   
      
   That means the storm continues to strengthen ahead of landfall, a   
   potentially disastrous situation as higher winds will exacerbate a storm   
   surge that could rise to as high as 20 feet in some places.   
      
      
   19 mins ago   
   Mike Bebernes   
   Videos show early stages of the effects of Hurricane Helene   
   Footage captured by local news media and law enforcement shows flooding   
   and wind damage from the Category 4 Helene, which is expected to cause   
   catastrophic damage throughout the Gulf Coast when it makes landfall late   
   Thursday evening.   
      
      
      
      
      
   38 mins ago   
   Nicole Darrah, David Knowles   
   Over 500,000 without power in Florida and Georgia   
   With Hurricane Helene still approximately two hours from making landfall   
   in Florida as a Category 4 storm, more than 500,000 people in that state   
   were without power, according to Poweroutage.us. Helene has also knocked   
   out power to more than 15,000 customers in Georgia.   
      
      
   49 mins ago   
   Mike Bebernes   
   More than 12 million people at high risk of excessive rainfall, NWS says   
   More than 12 million people live within areas at high risk of excessive   
   rainfall from Hurricane Helene, according to the National Weather Service.   
   Heavy rain is expected throughout the Gulf Coast but the highest rain   
   totals, up to 20 inches in some areas, are forecast to hit parts of the   
   Florida Panhandle, central Georgia and the western edges of North and   
   South Carolina.   
      
   The NWS is warning of “catastrophic” and “life-threatening” flash floods   
   and landslides in portions of the southern Appalachians into Friday.   
      
   https://www.yahoo.com/news/live/hurricane-helene-live-tracker-latest-   
   updates-and-path-as-storm-intensifies-to-category-4-ahead-of-landfall-in-   
   florida-tonight-180222132.html   
      
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