Hurricane Helene (/hɛˈliːn/, heh-LEEN) is a hurricane, the eighth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Helene developed from a broad area of low pressure in the Western Caribbean Sea in late September that the National Hurricane Center (NHC) first began watching on September 17, 2024.

By September 24, the disturbance had consolidated enough to become a tropical storm as it approached the Yucatán Peninsula, receiving the name Helene. Gradual intensification then ensued due to favorable conditions, with the cyclone becoming a hurricane early on September 25. Pronounced and eventually rapid intensification ensued as Helene entered the Gulf of Mexico by the following day, with it reaching Category 4 intensity on the evening of September 26. Late on September 26, Helene made landfall at peak intensity in the Big Bend region of Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 220 km/h. In advance of the expected landfall of Helene, the governors of Florida and Georgia both declared a state of emergency due to the significant impacts expected including very high storm surge and hurricane-force gusts as far inland as Atlanta. Hurricane warnings also extended further inland. As of September 27, a total of ten deaths so far have been attributed to Helene, both direct and indirect.

Helene makes landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane

Watch Hurricane Helene approach Florida in this NASA video from the ISS