Hurricane Helene slams into Florida coastline, power outages surpass 1M

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 11:37 PM CST |

Crawfordville, Fla. — The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Helene roared ashore around 11:10 p.m. EDT near the mouth of the Aucilla River in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast. It had maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 mph. That location was only about 20 miles northwest of where Hurricane Idalia came ashore last year at nearly the same ferocity and caused widespread damage.

Helene prompted hurricane and flash flood warnings extending far beyond the coast up into northern Georgia and western North Carolina. More than a million homes and businesses were without power in Florida and more than 50,000 in Georgia, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us. The governors of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas and Virginia all declared emergencies in their states.

One person was killed in Florida when a sign fell on their car and two people were reported killed in a possible tornado in south Georgia as the storm approached.

“When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we’re going to be waking up to a state where very likely there’s been additional loss of life and certainly there’s going to be loss of property," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Thursday night.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee had issued an “extreme wind warning” for the Big Bend as the eyewall approached: “Treat this warning like a tornado warning,” it said in a post on X. “Take shelter in the most interior room and hunker down!”

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 10:47 PM CST |

Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, as a Category 4 with 140 mph sustained winds and higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It’s the strongest hurricane on record to slam into Florida’s Big Bend.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said one person died after a sign fell and hit a car driving on Interstate 4 near Ybor City in the Tampa area.

“So that just shows you that it’s very dangerous conditions out there,” the governor said in a news conference Thursday night. “You need to be, right now, just hunkering down. Now is not the time to be going out.”

DeSantis did not provide further details on the incident or the person who died. He said he believes there will likely be more deaths because of the storm’s strength.

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 9:28 PM CST |

Hurricane Helene has produced strong winds that already cut power to nearly 700,000 homes and businesses in Florida, according to this tracking site. That number is expected to rise, according to officials. The storm is less than an hour from making landfall.

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 9:03 PM CST |

Hurricane Helene, remains a violent Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center. The eye — around which are the most dangerous and life-threatening conditions — will likely make landfall in the 11 p.m. ET hour, according to a statement posted Thursday.

Cedar Key Fire Rescue has suspended services as the storm inches closer to Florida’s coast, according to a statement posted Thursday.

“Cedar Key Fire has suspended services until the Hurricane passes. Hurricane Helene is a Cat 4 with 130 mph. The current track shows it coming within 70 miles of Cedar Key.” the statement said.

The storm’s reported wind speed was measured at 140 mph at 9 p.m

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 7:12 PM CST |

Fast-moving Hurricane Helene is advancing across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, threatening a “catastrophic” storm surge in northwestern parts of the state as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S., forecasters said.

The storm was upgraded to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm Thursday. Landfall is expected by the evening.

States of emergency were declared in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia and Alabama.

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 4:19 PM CST |

Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi said team were working overnight in preparation for Hurricane Helene. She stressed that impacts are now being felt along the coastline.

“The hurricane has now made its way into the Gulf of Mexico. We are starting to see impacts along the coastline and flooding that is occurring, especially in areas on Lido Beach and Venice, Long Boat Key… So, we ask people to be very cautious," shared Tapfumaneyi. "Please don’t be driving on roads that are anywhere near the flooding. You should be inside at this point. The winds are going to start picking up so it is safest for you to remain indoors. This storm surge is going to persist today and possibly overnight into tomorrow. The peak of storm surge is supposed to occur sometime this evening so again, please stay indoors."

Watch Merit+ for the latest weather updates. 

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 2:42 PM CST |

Helene is here. Do these 14 things now to prepare

 If you haven’t prepared already, the time is here. Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall Thursday night along the Florida Gulf Coast near Tallahassee and then veer north, maintaining hurricane- and tropical storm-force winds and torrential rainfall into North Georgia and up to Tennessee. Up to 18 inches of rain is expected into the Carolinas, the National Weather Service said Thursday.

About 40 million Americans are living under direct hurricane or tropical storm warnings across five states, according to CNN Supervising Meteorologist Brandon Miller.

In most areas, the brunt of the storm will hit overnight. This requires special preparations.

“If somebody’s going to bed at 9 or 10 o’clock tonight, it may seem like it’s not so bad. It’s just a little breezy, maybe 20- to 30-mile-per-hour winds and rain. But by 2 or 3 a.m., those winds are going to be 50 to 60 miles per hour, potentially, and so you need to prepare for that before you go to sleep,” Miller said.

Miller advises turning up the volume on your phone or watch so you can hear any emergency alerts. It’s also a good idea to ensure that those devices are close to you and fully charged. Many areas are expected to lose power overnight, and high winds may delay crews from beginning restoration work.

Heavy rainfall may saturate soil and high winds may cause trees to topple, so it’s a good idea to sleep in a part of your house that’s away from tall trees, if you can.

“That’s something people can do: Pick a room in their house that is the most protected from falling debris, and sleep there tonight,” Miller said. In the event that the storm spawns tornadoes, which are likely, Miller advises sleeping on the ground floor in an interior room, away from any windows.

Here are some other things you can do now to get ready and keep your family safe:

• Check the location of your nearest shelters. The Red Cross keeps a map.
• Pack a “go bag” or box. Grab it if you need to leave home quickly. Here’s what should go in it.
• Make digital copies of all important documents. Just snapping a photo of your driver’s license with your phone might be important.
• Secure outside objects. High winds can turn outdoor items into projectiles. Stow outdoor furniture, and move plants inside.
• Stock up on nonperishable food supplies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says to plan for a three-day supply of food per person and per pet.
• Prepare for how you’ll use that food. Pick grocery staples that won’t go bad if you lose power. Grind your coffee beans, or get instant coffee. Buy shelf-stable milk or individual condiment packets. Consider using paper plates and plastic utensils.
• Keep a basic first-aid kit handy. The Red Cross has some recommendations for what should go into it.
• Have tools at the ready, too. You might need a a Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman-type tool, a wrench or key to turn off utilities or a saw to take care of tree limbs.
• Locate your flashlights, and put fresh batteries in them.
• Fully charge all phones, tablets and computers. Download movies and TV shows to a tablet to save sanity in case of an extended power outage and heavy rains.
• Have a backup power supply for your electronics, like a power bank. Make sure you have charging cables for your devices in your car.
• Fill your gas tank or charge your electric vehicle.
• Prep your generator. If using a backup generator for power, make sure you have fuel for it, and never use it inside the house. Here’s more on using backup generators safely.
• Have a way of getting emergency information that doesn’t need to be plugged in. FEMA suggests battery-powered or hand-cranked radios

Copyright CNN

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 2:39 PM CST |

Florida — Fast-moving Hurricane Helene was advancing Thursday across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, threatening a “catastrophic” storm surge in northwestern parts of the state as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S., forecasters said. The storm was upgraded to a Category 3 storm Thursday afternoon.

Landfall is expected by evening. The governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have all declared emergencies in their states. In the Pacific, former Hurricane John strengthened Thursday morning back into a hurricane as it threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast with flash flooding and mudslides.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean and was expected to strengthen as it moves eastward, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said. Isaac was about 690 miles northeast of Bermuda with top sustained winds of 50 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving east at about 12 mph.

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 1:12 PM CST |

Coastal conditions near Sarasota are beginning to deteriorate, officials say

SARASOTA, Fla. — Conditions along the coastal areas near Sarasota were beginning to deteriorate early Thursday afternoon, officials said.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office posted photos on social media showing water lapping over a road at Nora Patterson Park, which is on the northern tip of Siesta Key.

Sarasota is about 60 miles from Tampa on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

‘It’s a wakeup call for everybody’

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Some businesses began closing early Thursday afternoon in Valdosta, Georgia, near the Florida line. The inland city was under a hurricane warning, with forecasters predicting dangerous winds late Thursday as Helene’s center churns northward through southern Georgia.

Employees of a Walmart in Valdosta were turning away customers in the parking lot before 1:30 p.m. Red and blue pallets stacked high blocked the store’s entrances.

Margaret Freenman, 67, and her two grandchildren found the store closed when they showed up to buy a few extra snacks before Helene arrives. Freeman said she’d already stocked up on essentials.

Freeman has lived in Valdosta her entire life and said hurricanes have only seemed like a real threat in recent years.

Hurricane Idalia uprooted a tree that punched a hole in Freeman’s roof and broke some windows when it tore through Valdosta a year ago. Tropical Storm Debby knocked out electricity for thousands in August.

“It’s a wakeup call for everybody,” said Freeman, who planned to ride out the latest storm again at home.

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 12:32 PM CST |

Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay closes

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay has closed as wind gusts have reached 60 mph, the Florida Highway Patrol said Thursday afternoon.

Florida sheriff says his community is in for ‘a rough 24 hours’

CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. — The sheriff of a coastal Florida county in the path of Hurricane Helene said Thursday that his community is in for “a rough 24 hours and a long recovery.”

Wakulla County Sheriff Jared Miller said the county likely has a long road ahead of it once the storm passes after making an expected landfall Thursday night. The storm could grow to a Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico before landing in the Big Bend area where Wakulla County is located, with a storm surge up to 20 feet.

“I have lived here my entire life and have never witnessed some of the storm predictions we are currently seeing,” Miller said in a social media post. “I hope that I am mistaken.”

The sheriff urged residents to stay off local roads, including evacuees who may be itching to return to see the conditions of their homes after the storm passes through.

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 11:16 AM CST |

‘This is not a maybe — this is on track to happen’

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Emergency officials in the North Carolina mountains are warning that heavy rains before Hurricane Helene even arrives have set the stage for potentially historic flooding.

The French Broad River and Swannanoa River, which run in and around Asheville and then south, are already predicted to break 100-year-old records Friday into Saturday. The flooding could be worse than in 2004 when water rose to car rooftops in Biltmore Village just outside the gates of the historic Biltmore estate built by George Vanderbilt.

“This is a potentially historic event with catastrophic, deadly consequences. This is not a maybe. This is on track to happen. So please, please take every precaution to take yourself out of harm’s way,” Buncombe County Emergency Services Director Taylor Jones said.

Seven inches of rain has already fallen in Asheville while some other areas have seen even more. All of the water is flowing downhill out of the mountains.

Mudslides are also a danger as swiftly flowing rivers and runoffs cut their own channels and bring down rocks, trees and other debris, said Andrew Kimball, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Greer, South Carolina.

Pre-landfall emergency declarations help states get needed resources ahead of Helene, FEMA head says

WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s administrator Deanne Criswell said Thursday that the pre-landfall emergency declarations for Hurricane Helene are important to help states have the resources they need to open shelters and get people to safety.

She also noted changes to Small Business Administration policies to make it easier for people including those who work from home to qualify for help.

FEMA deployed more resources ahead of Helene due to increased severity of extreme weather

WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s administrator Deanne Criswell said the increased severity of extreme weather has led her agency to put more resources in place ahead of landfall by Hurricane Helene.

The FEMA head warned about flash flooding from rain and said it’s better to have more search and rescue teams ready to help people than to have too few teams.

FEMA head anticipates Helene will be a multi-state event

WASHINGTON — The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Deanne Criswell said her agency has been preparing for Hurricane Helene for “a number of days” and they began moving resources into Florida on Monday.

Speaking at Thursday’s White House briefing, Criswell said she anticipates the storm will be a multi-state event with impacts from Florida to Tennessee. She added that there are 1,100 people distributed across the federal government to address any damage from Helene and that an additional 700 personnel are ready to provide support after the storm hits.

She added that people in the hurricane’s path should listen to local government officials about whether to evacuate or shelter in place.

Criswell said she will travel to the region on Friday at President Joe Biden’s direction to assess the situation.

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 10:27 AM CST |

North Carolina’s governor warns residents to prepare for heavy rain and flooding

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned residents in western and central counties to prepare for heavy rain and “potentially catastrophic flooding” Thursday night and Friday from Hurricane Helene.

Speaking at a Thursday morning briefing, Cooper said the mountains also likely will see landslides, river flooding and debris flows. And cities not necessarily in Helene’s direct path, like Charlotte and Asheville, could see flash flooding, he said.

“The impacts of Helene should not be ignored and all North Carolinians should remain informed,” said state emergency management director Will Ray. Areas of western North Carolina could receive from 9 to 14 inches (23 to 36 centimeters) of rain, with amounts reaching 20 inches possible, Ray said.

Cooper said some shelters were already open and 175 National Guard service members were activated to help in the storm response.

Additionally, he said people in the mountains and foothills who don’t have to travel shouldn’t, the governor said.

“I’m concerned about our mountain areas, seeing the amount of rain that’s already on the ground and this storm coming,” he said. “I’ve seen firsthand the devastation that it can cause.”

State parks and 9 shelters open to evacuees in Georgia

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency said nine shelters were opening for Hurricane Helene, mostly in the southern parts of the state. The state has also opened its state parks to evacuees, saying it’s welcoming people and pets, including horses.

Parks officials say they are currently housing 15 evacuees.

Biden declares an emergency in North Carolina

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for North Carolina on Thursday, according to the White House. The approval follows one issued for Georgia earlier in the day and one issued for Florida earlier in the week.

Federal Emergency Management Agency teams were already deployed to Florida and Alabama to support local first responders. Federal authorities have positioned generators, food and water, along with search-and-rescue and power restoration teams.

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 9:04 CST |

‘This has been my livelihood’

ST. MARKS, Fla. — As Hurricane Helene barreled toward Florida’s Big Bend, Philip Tooke sat in a rocking chair on the back deck of his fish house overlooking the St. Marks River, watching and waiting.

A commercial fisherman who took over the business his father founded in the town of St. Marks, about 5 miles north of Apalachee Bay, Tooke plans to ride out this storm like he did Hurricane Michael and others — on his boat.

“This has been my livelihood. This is what pays my bills,” Tooke said of his boats. “If I lose that, I don’t have anything.”

Tooke said he’ll wait until the water is about knee-deep and then he, his brother Richard and some of their employees will hunker down on the La Victoria, the Jenny Lee and the Susan D, loosening the lines that fasten the boats to the dock as the water rises, in the hopes they won’t be battered apart.

St. Marks sits at the confluence of the St. Marks and Wakulla Rivers and is known to flood during storm events. On Thursday morning, water was already beginning to cover Riverside Drive, which runs through downtown.

Filling sandbags in Clyattville, Georgia

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Rain drizzled Thursday morning outside a fire station where residents filled sandbags in the unincorporated Clyattville community outside Valdosta near the Georgia-Florida line. Helene was forecast to pass nearby as a hurricane Thursday night.

Jose Gonzales and his 14-year-old son, Jadin, shoveled sand into bags and piled them into the back of a pickup truck. Though their home is inland, Gonzales said heavy rains during Hurricane Idalia a year ago got blown under his doors and cracked a window. Some of the carpet inside got so wet he had to replace it.

For Helene, he planned to fortify his doors in hopes of preventing it from happening again.

“If it blows sideways, we might get more water inside the house,” Gonzales said. “It’s just mother nature.”

Biden approves emergency declaration in Georgia

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Georgia on Thursday morning after issuing one for Florida earlier in the week.

Federal authorities have positioned generators, food and water, along with search-and-rescue and power restoration teams. And Florida officials have sent more than 130 generators to gas stations to ensure that people will be able to fill their cars after the storm, and extra fuel has been shipped into Florida, DeSantis said.

‘This old house was built in 1903 — I think it’ll hold up’

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Joe Overby, 67, and his family were preparing Thursday to ride out the hurricane at their home in the unincorporated Clyattville community outside Valdosta, Georgia, where Hurricane Idalia a year ago toppled trees and damaged about 1,000 homes.

Overby boarded up the open front of a large storage building next to his house. He had a generator to power his refrigerator and freezer and planned to move cars to his neighbor’s yard across the street where there were no trees.

He said Idalia last year bent some sturdy oaks in his backyard, exposing the roots.

“I’m afraid this time they’re going to come down,” Overby said, adding that he planned to hunker down at home overnight with his wife, two children and four dogs.

“This old house was built in 1903,” he said. “I think it’ll hold up. You can’t even pull the nails out, the wood is so hard.”

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 8:31 AM CST |

Florida officials warn residents of hazards they may face even after Helene hits

State officials warned Florida residents of the potential risks they face even after Hurricane Helene rips through the northern part of the state, which was expected Thursday night.

Driving on roadways and tree branches falling on homes were the two biggest hazards during storms, said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a news conference in Tallahassee.

Drivers should stay off roads because of potential flooding and people should stay in the interior parts of their homes if they hear tree limbs snapping, which sounds like fireworks or a gun being fired, officials said.

“It will likely be dark by the time this storm passes,” DeSantis said. “Do not try to do any work in the dark. You don’t know what hazards are out there. The sun is going to come out. You’re going to have time to take stock of this.”

State emergency officials have sent more than 130 generators to gas stations to ensure that people will be able to fill their cars after the storm, and extra fuel has been shipped into Florida, DeSantis said.

“We haven’t seen fuel shortages, only some lines,” the governor said. “So we feel good about the fuel situation.”

Helene knocked out power and forced evacuations in western Cuba

Helene knocked out power in western Cuba as it brushed past the island, affecting some 160,000 customers in the province of Artemisa and another 70,000 in the neighboring province of Pinar del Río.

The hurricane also forced some 800 people in the region to evacuate flood-prone zones, according to Guerrillero, a local newspaper.

Pictures posted on social media showed overflowing rivers that turned some streets into creeks as people traveled by boat with their personal belongings.

On the Isle of Youth, some 62 acres of tobacco seedbeds of export quality were damaged, said Raúl Fernández, director of a local company, adding that an anticipated planting schedule for October could be delayed. In addition, some 3,000 customers, about 12% of the municipality, were without power.

The Cuban government was still assessing overall damage on Thursday.

Airports across multiple states see flight delays and cancellations

Airports in the Florida cities of Tampa, Tallahassee and Clearwater were closed Thursday, while more than half the flights to airports in Sarasota and Fort Myers were canceled Thursday morning, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.

More than a hundred flights in and out of the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta had also been canceled while more than 100 others were delayed, but that’s a relatively small fraction of flights there. Airports in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Florida cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando were seeing a smaller number of delays and cancellations

Chances for a direct hit on Tallahassee have slightly lessened, DeSantis says

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A shift in models nudging Hurricane Helene’s projected landfall further east lessens the chances for a direct hit on Florida’s capital city if that trajectory holds, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday morning.

The shift placed the storm closer to the sparsely-populated Big Bend area where two hurricanes in the past year made landfall — Idalia in August 2023 and Debby last August. The Tallahassee metro area has a population of almost 393,000 residents.

Helene was expected to make landfall Thursday night, possibly as a Category 4 storm.

“That’s significant when you are talking about Tallahassee because yesterday we were talking about an eye wall that’s on the western part of the city,” DeSantis said at a news conference from the state’s emergency operations center in Tallahassee.

The Tallahassee area hadn’t seen a major hurricane of Helene’s expected magnitude at landfall in recent memory, the governor said.

“The more the track shifts east, the better off for Tallahassee,” DeSantis said.

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 7:17 AM CST |

Florida’s emergency operations building will be tested when Helene hits the state

Even the building where Florida’s emergency response to Hurricane Helene is organized will be put to the test when the fast-moving storm plows through Tallahassee late Thursday, possibly as a Category 4 hurricane, state officials said.

The building that houses the state’s emergency operations center in Tallahassee has walls that were built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. But during construction in the 1990s, there wasn’t enough money to ensure the roof could withstand a hurricane that strong, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Backup plans were in place should there be any problems with the building.

“It should be fine, but we’ll see,” DeSantis said. “We’ve taken precautions just in case something happens to be able to continue the continuity without any major interruption.”

John strengthens into a hurricane again near southwestern Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Former Hurricane John restrengthened into a hurricane on Thursday morning as it threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast with flash flooding and mudslides. Officials posted hurricane warnings for southwestern Mexico.

John hit the country’s southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing at least two people, triggering mudslides, and damaging homes and trees. It grew into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours and made landfall east of Acapulco. It reemerged over the ocean after weakening inland.

Rain is falling and the roads are empty near where Helene is expected to make landfall

PANACEA, Fla. — Rain was beginning to blow in the predawn darkness Thursday along coastal U.S. Highway 98, which winds through countless fishing villages and vacation hideaways along Florida’s Big Bend.

Shuttered gas stations dotted the two-lane highway, their windows boarded up with plywood to protect against the storm. The road was largely empty at first light, with what drivers there mostly heading northeast, towards higher ground.

This stretch of Florida known as the Forgotten Coast has been largely spared by the widespread condo development and commercialization that dominates so many of Florida’s beach communities. The sparsely populated region is loved for its natural wonders — the vast stretches of salt marshes, tidal pools and barrier islands; the dwarf cypress trees of Tate’s Hell State Forest; and Wakulla Springs, considered one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs.

UPDATE | Sept. 26, 2024, 6:07 AM CST |

Helene upgraded to Category 2 hurricane as it barrels toward Florida

MIAMI — Helene was upgraded Thursday morning to a Category 2 storm and is expected to be a major hurricane — meaning a Category 3 or higher — when it makes landfall on Florida’s northwestern coast Thursday evening.

As of early Thursday, hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extended far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia. The governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have all declared emergencies in their states.

Tropical Storm Isaac forms in the Atlantic and is expected to strengthen, forecasters say

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean and was expected to strengthen as it moves eastward, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said.

Isaac was about 690 miles (1,115 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda with top sustained winds of 50 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving east at about 12 mph.

Isaac is the ninth named storm in what is predicted to be a busy hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 in the Atlantic. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts between 17 and 25 named storms, with as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.

An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

Copyright Associated Press