Helene made landfall at 11:10PM EDT last evening as a category-4 major hurricane near the mouth of the Aucilla River in the northwest Florida Big Bend area. Helene is downgraded to a tropical storm located about 40 miles east of Macon, GA. Widespread destructive effects associated with this storm continue.

At 5AM EDT, Category-3 Major Hurricane Helene was located at 27.9N/84.6W or about 130 miles west of Tampa and 175 miles south of Tallahassee. The maximum sustained wind is 125 mph, and Helene is accelerating to 23 mph toward the north-northeast. Central pressure is 951 MB. Helene is developing rapidly while accelerating. An exceptionally violent storm.

Reviewing the 1993-2024 monthly IOD index, positive phase spikes are usually followed by the negative phase. A sharp +IOD was observed in 2023 fading earlier this year. Anticipated (earlier this year) was generation of a new negative phase. However, monthly observations during 2024 reveal a steady neutral phase.