Hurricane Helene hits Florida as Category-4 storm, causing widespread damage and prompting evacuations across southeastern U.S.

Storm comes ashore with max sustained winds of more than 200 kph

Hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extended far beyond the coast up into northern Georgia and western North Carolina.

Hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extended far beyond the coast up into northern Georgia and western North Carolina.

The "extremely dangerous" Hurricane Helene made landfall in the US state of Florida on Thursday, with officials warning of "unsurvivable" conditions and a potentially catastrophic storm surge high enough to swamp a two-story house.

Helene strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall in Florida. The storm is expected to be one of the biggest in decades.

More than a million homes and businesses were without power in Florida shortly after Helene's landfall.

Hurricane Helene's impacts could extend well inland, to cities like Atlanta and Asheville, North Carolina.