Hurricane Helene intensified into a major Category 3 hurricane on Thursday with 120 mph sustained winds, with the National Hurricane Center predicting it will grow further bringing devastation to Florida’s Gulf Coast and inland toward Tallahassee.

Category 4 Helene made landfall just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River, about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida.

Helene was upgraded to a major Category 3 storm Thursday afternoon ahead of its expected evening landfall on Florida’s northwestern coast. Hurricane and flash flood warnings extend far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia.