Welcome to the news hour. Tonight Florida is bracing for a direct hit from Hurricane

Helene, a powerful storm that strengthened to a category 3 with winds up to 120

miles an hour.

Helene is expected to make landfall tonight in just a matter of hours,

but many across Florida have been feeling its effects all day

and preparing for the worst.

As early as this morning, the outer bands of Helene were already lashing the state of Florida, from Tampa to the Keys, with high winds and swamping streets with heavy rain.

Florida Governor Ron Desantis today stressed that the effects of the massive 400 mile

storm will be felt far and wide. Just because you're outside the cone,

and I think a lot of those parts on the west coast of Florida

are probably outside the cone.

That does not mean that you're not going to see significant impacts.

Strengthening today to a category 3 major hurricane with 120 mile an hour winds.

Helene could even reach category 4 strength by the time it makes landfall on Florida's

northern Gulf Coast in just a matter of hours.

The director of FEMA speaking at the White House today with this plea for people in the Storm's path.

Take the storm seriously.

People in Hurricane Helene's path, you need to listen to your local officials.

If they tell you to evacuate, please do so.

More than 40 million people in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina are under hurricane

and tropical storm warnings. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for at least 20 Florida counties.

An army of thousands of utility workers have been staged across the state, ready to restore

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