A hurricane's category describes potential wind damage but does not describe other deadly hurricane hazards such as storm surge.

Hurricane Helene is already a large storm in the Gulf of Mexico, and it's expected to grow larger and stronger before making landfall over Florida's Big Bend region on Thursday evening.

Florida state line as a Category 3 hurricane. Far to the east, Florida's Big Bend — where Hurricane Helene is expected to come ashore — never even felt tropical storm strength winds, but it was still hit with a mass of water that devasted coastal communities.