A raging river of Gulf of Mexico water ripped through the heart of Madeira Beach just minutes after deputes blocked access to Pinellas County’s barrier islands at 6 p.m. Thursday. It would be dusk by the time these densely populated islands would start facing the peak of Hurricane Helene’s storm surge,

Long before its landfall late Thursday, Hurricane Helene and its intense wind and rain were already threatening millions of people in four states.

Helene roared ashore Florida's Big Bend region as one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, with officials fearing the hurricane would leave a trail of deaths and widespread destruction as it moved inland.

The large size of this storm is going to push so much water," Rhome said. “When it comes to storm surge the size of the hurricane is more important than the intensity of the

Hurricane Helene could come ashore in Florida as a dangerous Category 3 or 4 storm with a surge over 10 feet, bringing flooding inland. Follow live updates.