Helene, a Category 4 hurricane with “catastrophic” peak winds estimated at 140 miles per hour, made landfall late Thursday evening in the Big Bend region of Florida’s Gulf Coast, causing what the National Hurricane Center described as “life-threatening conditions.”

The eyewall “began moving onshore,” the center said in its 10 p.m. update, and landfall occurred at 11:10 p.m.

The center said its spread was significantly greater than that of a typical hurricane and that hurricane-force winds – 74 miles per hour or more – were up to 60 miles from the center. Tropical storm force winds of 38 mph (61 km/h) or greater may occur up to 300 miles (500 km) from the center.

In the Tampa Bay area, the National Weather Service warned of wind gusts of up to 75 miles per hour through Friday morning, and tropical storm and storm surge warnings were in effect.

Will Hurricane Helene impact travel for Eagles fans heading to Tampa?

While Helene and its remains will remain several hundred miles from the Philadelphia region at least through the weekend, some impact is likely at Philadelphia International Airport and other airports in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Tampa International, St. Pete-Clearwater International and Tallahassee International airports will be temporarily closed.

Amtrak’s Silver Star and Silver Meteor routes to Miami terminate in Jacksonville.

Delta Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Frontier Airlines and United Airlines have offered travelers flying to Tampa, Orlando, Cancun and other affected cities a waiver to change their tickets without a change fee or a Fee grants tariff difference.

” READ MORE: Tom Brady will dictate the Eagles-Bucs game

Will Hurricane Helene postpone, delay or postpone the Eagles-Buccaneers game at Raymond James Stadium?

Neither the NFL nor the teams have considered the possibility of postponing or rescheduling the game, but it seems unlikely that would happen unless the stadium became a disaster relief site.

By Sunday’s 1pm kick-off time, the center of what’s left of Helene will be hundreds of kilometers away, forecasters say.

The weather service predicts a 40% chance of showers during the game and light winds, but the defining feature may well be the humidity. Temperatures are expected to rise to the mid-80s and triple-digit heat indices.

The Bucs’ home stadium, Raymond James Stadium, is one of four NFL stadiums selected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide shelter during a hurricane or other extreme weather event. It is unknown whether the stadium will need to be activated as a disaster relief site for Hurricane Helene.

That list also includes the Louisiana Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints, which served as a refuge during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Will Hurricane Helene impact other major professional sporting events?

As it turns out, Hurricane Helene has become a wild card in the National League wild card race.

Helene is forecast to trigger tremendously heavy rains in Atlanta, where the Braves are scheduled to host the New York Mets in a critical series for two teams trying to reach the postseason.

Wednesday and Thursday’s games were postponed and rescheduled for Monday, when the teams will play a doubleheader, a day after the end of the season for the rest of baseball.

” READ MORE: Pick your poison, Phillies, in the wild card race

These two teams and the Arizona Diamondbacks are fighting for the final wild card spots. On Thursday, Arizona and New York were tied, with the Braves one game behind.

How might Helene affect the weather in Philadelphia?

All of this can change a lot, but forecasters believe that the impact of Helene here would be small and that the weekend could be at least halfway decent.

“Some moisture is expected to move in from the edge of Helene Friday into Friday night,” the National Weather Service said in its afternoon briefing Thursday, but flooding rains are expected to continue well south.

Don’t expect much sun over the next few days, and showers are forecast through Wednesday evening. Although showers are expected Friday evening and Saturday, the weather service says, there will be “no chance of a rain shower” this weekend.

In any case, the rains won’t affect the Phillies’ chances of reaching the postseason. They’re in.