Helene leaves more than 1 million people in the dark

More than a million people remained without power in Florida Friday morning, even as Hurricane Helene weakened into a tropical storm as it passed through Georgia.

The storm unleashed 140 mph winds and flooding rain after making landfall on the Big Bend state’s coast late Thursday. This made it the first known Category 4 storm to hit the region since records began in 1851.

The storm maintained hurricane strength for several hours as it moved inland over northern Florida and into Georgia. At 5 a.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Helene to a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 mph.

Although all hurricane and tropical storm warnings were canceled along Florida’s east and west coasts, nearly 1.2 million people remained without power as of Friday morning, USA TODAY’s power outage map showed. Pinellas County had the most customers without power as of Friday morning, with 234,000.

In addition, Georgia is also experiencing power outages as the tropical storm moves beyond its borders. Significant storm surge and coastal flooding are expected in Georgia, with parts of Savannah potentially inundated into Friday night.

Follow below for the latest power outages in Florida as Helene washes ashore.

Helene live updates: Latest radar map as tropical storm wreaks havoc in Georgia

Florida power outage map

More than 2.5 million homes and businesses in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina were left in the dark early Friday as Helene lashed the region with strong winds and heavy rain.

Most of the outages were reported in Florida, particularly along the Big Bend coast. Nearly 1.2 million utility customers were without power as of Friday morning, according to a USA TODAY power outage tracker.

Hurricane Helene Tracker

Gabe Hauari is a nationally featured news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and breaking news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]

Helene leaves more than 1 million people in the dark

ByJasper

Florida power outage map

Hurricane Helene Tracker

By Jasper

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