Hurricane Helene, currently a Category 1 storm, is expected to become a major hurricane before making landfall along the Florida Panhandle Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service. While the storm should weaken as it heads inland overnight through Georgia and past South Carolina, it’s still predicted to make it’s presence known.

The hurricane center's forecast for Helene's rapid transition from unnamed storm to Cat 3 hurricane may be the fastest ever.

Hurricane Helene is now forecast to reach catastrophic Category 4 strength by the time it makes landfall in Florida on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center says, with storm surge potentially climbing to 20 feet along some parts of the coast.