Camryn Frick, left, and Jillian Sternick, both 22, and of Tampa, hold hands as they cross a flooded street together along Bayshore Boulevard on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
September 26, 2024
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September 26, 2024 4 p.m.
Helene strengthens to a Category 4 hurricane as it nears Florida's Gulf Coast
Hurricane Helene strengthened into a Category 4 storm hours ahead of its expected landfall on Florida's northwest coast Thursday night as forecasters warned that the enormous system could create a "nightmare" storm surge and bring dangerous winds and rain across much of the southeastern U.S.