LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hurricane Helene formed into a major hurricane Wednesday and is expected to make landfall in Florida Thursday as a major storm.
Remnants will make their way into the Louisville area starting Thursday night and lasting all day Friday. As the storm develops, you can follow its path below with WHAS11 interactive radar tools.
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Helene is about to undergo rapid intensification leading up to landfall late Thursday near Apalachicola. Helene is currently producing sustained winds of 90 mph with stronger gusts as it moves NNE at 12 mph.
Helene was upgraded to a Category 2 about noon Thursday.
It became a Category 4 storm around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Interactive Helene radar
Helene Louisville impacts
Steady-to-heavy bands of rain will approach from southeast to northwest throughout the late night hours Thursday night and through the day Friday.
Between 2-4 inches of rain is in the forecast along the Ohio River, including the Louisville area, with several locations south of the Bluegrass and Western Kentucky Parkways collecting 2.5-4.5 inches of rain.
Flooding will be a possibility with the heaviest bands of rainfall. Keep in mind that the wind will also be strong, so rain will be falling sideways. Wind gusts could reach 40-50 mph locally.
Visibility will be reduced and there will be ponding of water on roadways. Always remember: slow down, turn around and don't drown.
Wind gusts remain a big story with the remnants of powerful Helene eyeballing central Kentucky and southern Indiana. Wind gusts will easily range from 30-40 mph, and possibly briefly topping 45 mph. Sustained wind and wind gusts of this caliber will make for power outages in some locations.
Make sure your phones, laptops, and other appliances are charged up in the event you lose power.