Helene latest: Live updates from Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas

Hurricane Helene weakened to a tropical storm over Georgia Friday morning after making landfall in northwest Florida as a Category 4 storm with a “nightmare” storm surge. 

The tropical storm was centered 80 miles east-northeast of Atlanta by Friday morning, moving north at 30 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. 

At least five deaths have been reported in four states as floodwaters trapped people and left more than 3 million customers without power across the southeastern U.S.

Catastrophic flooding remains a big threat for the region. Areas from northern Georgia into the southern Appalachians are expected to get the worst of it Friday. Flash flood warnings were also issued in parts of Tennessee. 

Helene impacts in Georgia

Helene caused at least three deaths in Georgia and prompted the first-ever Flash Flood Emergency for downtown Atlanta, FOX Weather reports. 

At least two people were killed in Wheeler County, Georgia, after a mobile home was damaged during a tornado. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, a third death in Georgia is also being investigated after reports of a vehicle that crashed into a tree in Colquitt County.

More flooding is expected in northern Georgia Friday. 

Hurricane Helene landfall

Hurricane Helene made landfall at 11:10 p.m. Eastern time Thursday night about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida. That’s in the state’s sparsely populated Big Bend region, about 20 miles northwest of where Hurricane Idalia came ashore last year at nearly the same ferocity and caused widespread damage. 

Helene struck as a Category 4 with sustained winds of 140 mph. 

Flooding along Florida’s coast began well before Hurricane Helene made landfall, with rapidly rising waters reported from as far south as Fort Myers on the state’s Gulf Coast.

Evacuation orders remained in effect Friday morning across parts of several Florida counties due to storm surge and flooding.

Hurricane Helene in Tampa, St. Petersburg

At least one person was killed in the Tampa, Florida, area after a crash on Interstate 4 that involved a highway sign on top of a vehicle.

Tidal gauges in the Tampa Bay area reached record high levels as Helene came ashore. 

Hundreds of people were rescued from floodwaters in coastal areas of Tampa Bay, FOX 13 in Tampa reports. 

Residents of nearby St. Petersburg said they’ve never seen flooding like this. 

Helene hits North Carolina

Evacuations were underway Friday morning in areas of Western North Carolina. The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office west of Asheville said it was helping with evacuations in in Cruso, Clyde, Canton and lower-lying parts of Waynesville.

At least one death has been reported. In Charlotte, North Carolina, firefighters say a tree fell onto a home, trapping two people inside. One of the victims was taken to a local hospital, and the second victim was found dead inside the home.

At least seven Flash Flood Emergencies were also issued in western North Carolina from Asheville to the Charlotte area.

Helene in South Carolina

One death has been reported in the storm so far in South Carolina. A tree fell on a house Friday morning in Anderson, the Anderson County Coroner’s Office said.

Other storms to watch

Meanwhile, Hurricane John weakened again into a tropical storm Thursday evening after strengthening back to a Category 1 hurricane earlier the same day. The so-called “zombie storm,” a storm that weakens and then strengthens again after returning to warm waters, brought flooding and landslides to Mexico’s southwest coast. 

Forecasters said Tropical Storm Isaac strengthened on Friday into a hurricane in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean and could cause dangerous waves in parts of Bermuda.