Here's the very latest on the danger Helene poses not only at the coast, but also well inland through the Southeast.

Helene strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane hours ahead of its expected landfall on Florida’s northwest coast Thursday night, and forecasters warned that the enormous storm could create a “nightmare” surge in coastal areas and bring dangerous winds and rain across much of the southeastern U.

The forecast refers to the potential for rapid intensification over the Gulf of Mexico, which is when a storm gains 35 mph or more in a 24-hour period.