NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Helene continues to strengthen Thursday afternoon with winds now at 130 mph and climbing. Additional strengthening is still possible. This will be a devastating storm not only for those along the coast in northern Florida but for areas well inland. As Helene moves north storm surge and wind will increase across the western Florida Peninsula and the Big Bend region. Widespread wind damage and coastal flooding will occur. As wind spreads inland we will likely see a large area of damage and power outages across Georgia and into South Carolina, potentially even up to western North Carolina. The biggest impact inland looks to be the threat of flooding. Much of the southeast is already saturated due to recent rain. As Helene moves north many more inches of rain will fall, creasing potentially catastrophic flooding for some areas. Once again a high flood threat exists from the Florida panhandle up through western North Carolina. This could be a life-threatening situation for some areas. Continue to stick with WGNO for the latest on Helene and the tropics. Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter. Latest Posts Taylor Swift events at 'Friendship Bracelet Eras Convention' in NOLA Retired Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Marcus Clark dead at 68 USPS wants to raise stamp prices 5 times over the next 3 years Finally some fall weather! Louisiana Democrats, ACLU speak out against Higgins' social media post on Haitians