By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas:
Hurricane Helene underwent rapid intensification in the Gulf of Mexico hours before landfall late Thursday. It reached Florida's Big Bend coast as a major hurricane with winds of 140 miles per hour.
Helene is the third hurricane to make landfall in this region in the last 13 months; Debby and Idalia (another Category 4 with 130 mph winds) hit last year.
As of Friday, nearly 4 million people were without power from Florida to Ohio. One of the most significant and costliest effects will end up being the inland flooding due to storm surge and "catastrophic and historic" rainfall.
Some insurance policies in this region cover only wind damage, not floods. Helene underscores the importance of having flood insurance if possible. Helene could have been much worse if the track had a direct hit for Tampa or Tallahassee.
Closer to home, we're in for another dry and quiet stretch of weather this week. Sunday will likely be the end of our string of 80s. October arrives Tuesday with a brisk wind.
