Tropical Storm Helene became a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday morning and was expected to get stronger as it moved towards Florida.

Prepare before you go to bed

Update 3:02 p.m. ET, Sept. 26: The storm may hit after you would normally go to bed, so you should prepare before it is lights out.

“If somebody’s going to bed at 9 or 10 o’clock tonight, it may seem like it’s not so bad. It’s just a little breezy, maybe 20- to 30-mile-per-hour winds and rain. But by 2 or 3 a.m., those winds are going to be 50 to 60 miles per hour, potentially, and so you need to prepare for that before you go to sleep,” CNN’s Brandon Miller said.

Here are some of the preparations you should make, according to CNN:

• Turn up your phone’s volume for emergency alerts.
• Make sure your phone is charging and near you.
• Have a map of local shelters.
• Get a “go bag” ready.
• Have digital copies of important documents scanned, including your driver’s license.
• Get your generator ready.

Category 3

Update 2:30 p.m. ET, Sept. 26: Hurricane Helene has become a Category 3 storm, the National Hurricane Center announced on Thursday afternoon. It is considered a major hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph and gusts that are stronger. The hurricane is still getting stronger and will continue to do so as it makes landfall Thursday night in the Florida Big Bend area.

It was located about 170 miles west southwest of Tampa and 205 miles south of Apalachicola, Florida, the NHC said. It was moving at 16 mph in a north northeast direction.

“Preparations should be rushed to completion”

Update 12:56 p.m. ET, Sept. 26: The National Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Helene continues to strengthen and will make landfall this evening, adding that the time is now to make sure that if you’re in the storm’s path you are prepared.

“Preparations should be rushed to competition,” the NHC said on X.

Florida is not the only state that will be impacted by Helene. Georgia, specifically Atlanta, is at a 4 of 4 high risk of flooding, CNN reported. The high risk extends from the Florida Panhandle through the highest populated areas of Georgia into western North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the Flordia west coast has already flooded. The hurricane’s winds made water levels rise about 2 feet in areas such as Fort Meyers Beach. Up to 5 feet of storm surge may flood the area later this evening.

Eye fully developed

Update 9:55 a.m. ET, Sept. 26: Hurricane Helene has developed a fully formed eye as it continues to strengthen, field by the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, CNN reported.

Tornado watches issued

Update 9:26 a.m. ET, Sept. 26: More than 3.5 million people are under tornado watches in Georgia and South Carolina, CNN reported.

Areas of North Carolina and Florida are under tornado warnings.

The National Weather Service has a dedicated X account that lists all of the current tornado watches and warnings as they are issued.

The NWS said a tornado watch is when a tornado is possible in the area. A tornado warning is when a tornado has been sighted or seen on radar. A tornado emergency is the highest alert and is when a tornado has touched down.

FEMA: “Don’t underestimate this storm”

Update 8:11 a.m. ET, Sept. 26: The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s acting associated administrator Keith Turi had a message for those in the path of Hurricane Helene, “please don’t underestimate the storm,” CNN reported.

“Our real focus today is making sure we get the word out to everybody in the storm’s path that please don’t underestimate the storm. Take it seriously, and particularly if you are in those storm surge areas and you have those evacuation orders, please heed the warnings,” Turi told CNN Thursday morning.

Not only do people in the path of the hurricane need to watch for the storm itself, they also have to be prepared for what comes after.

Turi reminded them to look out for downed power lines, do not walk or drive through flood water, use flashlights, not candles if the power goes out, and if they have a generator do not use it inside, only outdoors.

Scenes before the storm

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Hurricane Helene preps CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 25: Workers place plywood over the windows of a business before the arrival of Hurricane Helene on September 25, 2024, in Clearwater, Florida. Hurricane Helene is forecast to become a major hurricane, bringing the potential for deadly storm surges, flooding rain, and destructive hurricane-force winds along parts of the Florida West Coast. Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Hurricane upgraded to Category 2

Update 7:43 a.m. ET Sept. 26: Hurricane Helene was upgraded to a Category 2 storm Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center announced.

Hurricane starts to develop clear eye

Update 7:18 a.m. ET Sept. 26: Hurricane Helene which is still a Category 1 was starting to develop a clear eye Thursday morning, CNN reported.

The National Hurricane Center said that it was strengthening and was “expected to bring catastrophic winds and storm surge.” The agency told residents that “preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”

The storm surge could be as high as 20 feet above ground level, the NHC said. The Associated Press said the surge would be “unsurvivable.” It is expected to hit Florida either Thursday evening or Friday morning as a Category 3 or higher, CNN reported. It is barreling in on the Big Bend region of Florida where the panhandle and peninsula meet, the AP reported.

Tampa airport to shut down before hurricane’s landfall

Update 1:57 p.m. ET Sept. 25: Tampa International Airport will suspend operations Thursday before Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall, The Associated Press reported. All commercial and cargo operations will be halted at 2 a.m. and will remain that way until damage can be assessed.

Hurricane Helene is expected to be the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. in more than a year, CNN reported. It will be the fourth to make landfall in 2024 and the fifth to hit Florida since 2022.

Meanwhile, more than 30 counties in Georgia are under a hurricane warning. Some are about 100 miles north of the Florida-Georgia line. In Florida, at least 24 counties are under evacuation orders - either voluntary or mandatory. Some of the orders depend on what zone people are located in.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper already issued a State of Emergency as the state prepared for any severe weather produced by Hurricane Helene. The declaration is effective through Saturday morning, the AP reported.

Flooding will come with storm: NWS

Update 12:39 p.m. ET Sept. 25: The National Weather Service said that up to 15 inches of rain may fall in the mountains of North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina and bring with it flooding, The Associated Press reported.

The weather service likened the impact to that of 2021′s Tropical Storm Fred which killed six people and damaged nearly 1,000 homes.

Original report: The National Hurricane Center said the storm was “expected to bring life-threatening storm surge” along with strong winds and flooding in not only Florida but also most of the Southeastern U.S.

It neared hurricane strength through the morning on Wednesday as it was just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, the National Hurricane Center said.

Several counties in Florida were already under evacuation orders before the storm reached hurricane strength, The Associated Press reported.

Gas stations in the Tallahassee area were running out of gas earlier in the week and supermarkets in the region were running out of store staples such as water and other supplies.

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