As Tropical Storm Helene strengthened into a hurricane around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Longboat Key officials advised residents that an evacuation order was in effect for residents.

Hurricane Helene. The St. Pete Pier, Tampa Bay, Florida, hours before Hurricane Helene made landfall, September 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, bringing catastrophic storm surges which have destoyed buildings. Martha Asencio-Rhine Tampa Bay Times

At 4:54 a.m. on Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center shared a post on X announcing Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm as it traveled inland over Georgia. See images, videos posted on social media from the aftermath of Florida's encounter with Hurricane Helene.

Helene began as a tropical storm earlier this week, but was upgraded to a category 4 hurricane before it reached the U.S.The storm first made landfall in Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region before moving up the Gulf Coast.

I’ve never been through the eyewall of a Category 3+ hurricane in Tallahassee, because the last time that happened was (probably) 1842.”

Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast, making landfall late Thursday as a powerful Category 4 storm, bringing with 140 mph winds, torrential rain and a record storm surge before moving inland across Georgia and the Carolinas.