Many areas are forecast to see dangerous storm surges, especially between Panama City and Tampa. The coast stretching from Ochlockonee River to Chassahowitzka could see between 10 and 15 feet of water. Nearby areas could see between 5 and 10 feet of water, and the Tampa Bay area is forecast to experience between 5 and 8 feet of storm surge.

Hurricane Helene is now forecast to reach catastrophic Category 4 strength by the time it makes landfall in Florida on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center says, with storm surge potentially climbing to 20 feet along some parts of the coast.