Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has urged residents not to become tied to the “cone,” warning that “hazards such as tornadoes, flooding and storm surges can create dangerous conditions well beyond the cone.”

In other words, he warned people not to assume they were safe just because their home or business was not directly in the path of the storm – or in the “cone” shown on weather maps.

Residents should also heed official warnings about other hazards.

Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday evening.

A state of emergency applies in 61 of the state’s 67 counties, DeSantis said.

Authorities have issued dire warnings and urged residents of coastal areas along the hurricane’s path to evacuate ahead of catastrophic winds and a potentially deadly storm surge (a wall of seawater pushed ashore by hurricane-force winds) that could reach 20 feet (6.1 meters) high in some places.

“People in coastal and lowland areas cannot survive this event,” said Jared Miller, sheriff of Wakulla County, where Helene is expected to make landfall. “Please follow the evacuation orders in place because time is running out.”

Helene roared across the Gulf of Mexico, gathering strength from warm ocean waters. Meteorologists expect it to make landfall in Florida’s Panhandle on Thursday evening, bringing sustained winds of up to 155 mph.

“Unfortunately, for those in the path, this means catastrophic wind impacts,” said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida’s Gulf Coast in the next few hours, posing the threat of an “insurmountable” storm surge that could cause catastrophic damage, flooding towns and swallowing homes.

The National Hurricane Center warned that Helene could reach the coast this evening as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of up to 210 km/h after strengthening over days in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Meteorologists predict that Helene could bring storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and warn that these could be particularly “catastrophic and life-threatening” in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm’s arrival.

Hello and welcome to DailyMail.com’s live coverage of Hurricane Helene as it rapidly approaches Florida.

The National Hurricane Center warned that Helene will likely reach Category 4 strength when it makes landfall after strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico.

Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm’s arrival as meteorologists predict a storm surge of up to six meters.

State officials say the damage could be unprecedented and catastrophic, and residents must rush to reach higher ground.

Stay tuned as we track Helene’s movements and bring you the latest developments on the ground in Florida.