Across St. Petersburg, stunning images emerged early Friday morning of flooding unlike previous storms. In Shore Acres, water levels had nearly reached stop signs; in downtown St. Petersburg, bay waters kissed The Vinoy; and in Gulfport, the small seaside town’s downtown was awash with debris from tidal flooding.

The Tampa Bay area of Florida, particularly St. Petersburg, was hit hard. Even before landfall happened, at least 12 hours ahead of Helene's late-night arrival in Perry, the water was coming over the railings in Bayshore, a prominent community in Tampa.

Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater will experience hurricane-force winds and catastrophic storm surge due to the storm’s huge wind field, despite being far from the forecast landfall region.