Hurricane Helene is now forecast to reach catastrophic Category 4 strength by the time it makes landfall in Florida on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center says, with storm surge potentially climbing to 20 feet along some parts of the coast.

Helene made landfall in the Florida Big Bend region Thursday night before it is expected to move inland at a fast pace across the Southeast.

Hurricane Helene, a massive, destructive Category 4 hurricane causing catastrophic storm surge, made landfall late Thursday night. More than 1.2 million homes and businesses are without power.