Helene weakened to a tropical storm Friday as it barreled across Georgia, pummeling the Southeast with flooding rain, strong winds and storm surge.

Helene is expected to make landfall on Florida's Big Bend this evening as a major category 4 hurricane, bringing the risk of catastrophic damage.

Hurricane Helene has weakened to a Tropical Storm over Georgia with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.