Hurricane Helene downgraded to 'dangerous' tropical storm

Helene weakened to a tropical storm but officials warned the deadly storm remained "dangerous" as it surged inland.

At least three people have died as Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida in the United States on Friday.

Helene hit Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm with wind gust speeds of 140 miles per hour (225 kilometers per hour) but later weakened to a tropical storm. 

Officials however warned the storm continued to be "extremely dangerous" as it moved inland.

The storm tore through Florida and moved into neighboring Georgia, the US National Hurricane Center said.

It warned residents to stay in shelter from "catastrophic winds", storm surge and heavy rains. "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation," the center said in its latest bulletin. 

Helene one of largest storms ever to hit Gulf Coast 

Helene’s size is massive compared to previous hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in over a year.

More than 1.2 million homes and businesses were without power in Florida, more than 190,000 in Georgia and more than 30,000 across North and South Carolina, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us.

The governors of those states as well as Alabama and Virginia all declared emergencies.

"When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we're going to be waking up to a state where very likely there's been additional loss of life. And certainly, there's going to be loss of property," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said.

He mobilized the National Guard and ordered thousands of personnel to ready for search-and-rescue operations. 

Weather officials forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and warned they could be particularly "catastrophic and unsurvivable" in Florida's Apalachee Bay.

"This will be one of the most significant weather events to happen in the western portions of the area in the modern era," the National Weather Service warned.

US President Joe Biden urged people to heed official evacuation warnings.

"I urge everyone in and near the path of Helene to listen to local officials and follow evacuation warnings," he said. "Take this seriously, and be safe."

mfi,kb/rc (AFP, AP)