Helene is expected to make landfall on Florida's Big Bend this evening as a major category 4 hurricane, bringing the risk of catastrophic damage.

Hurricane Helene intensified into a major Category 3 hurricane on Thursday with 120 mph sustained winds, with the National Hurricane Center predicting it will grow further bringing devastation to

Hurricane Helene is rapidly "accelerating" toward Florida's Panhandle, according to a 4 p.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center. Tropical storm conditions were recorded "across most of the West Coast of Florida," meteorologists said.