In Clearwater, one of the hardest-hit regions, water levels surged to a record 8.6 feet, eclipsing the previous high of 6.8 feet. Similarly, in East Bay, levels peaked at 7.3 feet, surpassing the old record of 6.7 feet.

When a major hurricane hits, it is often the storm surge — the sea or gulf water driven ashore by winds — that poses the greatest threat to people’s lives and livelihoods. The storm surge that will accompany Hurricane Helene is expected to peak on Thursday night.

After days of brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Helene is slated to touch down along Florida’s Big Bend coast on Thursday evening as a Category 4 hurricane. The Florida Big Bend, a particular slice of the state’s northwestern coast where Florida’s panhandle region begins to curve around the Gulf of Mexico and transition into the state’s distinct peninsula,

Hurricane Helene made landfall as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm in Florida's Big Bend region, with maximum sustained winds near 140 mph.

The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center states that Hurricane Helene is nearing the northeast Gulf Coast, or the Big Bend of Florida. The Category 4 hurricane is expected to bring "catastrophic" storm surge and "life-threatening" winds.

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.