Live blog: Updates on Hurricane Helene as major storm closes in on Florida’s coast

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ABOVE: Watch WESH 2’s continuous live coverage of HeleneAs Helene strengthens in the Gulf of Mexico and eyes landfall in Florida as a major hurricane, Gov. Ron DeSantis and other officials are addressing the state many times in regards to preparation and safety.>> The latest on Helene >> Interactive RadarHelene strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Thursday morning and is expected to intensify even more before making landfall in the Big Bend region Thursday. >> Bookmark this page to watch all press conferences and read updates from officials on Helene. All times are in EST.Thursday> 8 a.m.: Hurricane Helene reaches Category 2 status, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisoryHelene is currently located about 320 miles southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, prompting the upgrade.> 6:45 a.m.: Nearly all of Central Florida put under tornado watch as Hurricane Helene strengthens in Gulf of MexicoThe watch is currently set to expire at 8 p.m. tonight. Keep up with all active alerts by clicking here.> 5 a.m.: The National Hurricane Center issues its latest advisory on HeleneHelene is creeping up on Category 2 strength, but holds at Category 1 status with winds of 90 mph. Landfall in the Big Bend region is expected late Thursday or early Friday.> 4:55 a.m.: Gov. Ron DeSantis expected to address state from TallahasseeAt 9 a.m., the governor, along with other state officials, is expected to speak from the State Emergency Operations Center ahead of Hurricane Helene’s landfall.You can watch the news conference in the player above at that time.> 2:00 a.m.: The National Hurricane Center issues advisory on HeleneThe Category 1 storm is currently located about 430 miles south-southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and a minimum central pressure of 971 mb.Wednesday> 6:33 p.m.: Jimmy Patronis and Sen. Rick Scott provided Hurricane Helene updates from the Big Bend region.More: Hurricane’s size prompts advisories for nearly all of Florida > 4:20 p.m.: Gov. Ron DeSantis finishes speaking from Tallahassee for the second time today and urges residents to prepare ahead of Hurricane Helene’s landfall.DeSantis, Guthrie, and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue spoke from the State Emergency Operations Center at 3:30 p.m. They all highlighted the importance of being prepared for the hurricane and following safety measures to avoid fatalities.Watch the full video below> 3:50 p.m.: Buddy Dyer, mayor of Orlando, prepares the city drains to prevent flooding ahead of Hurricane HeleneMayor Buddy Dyer spent the day helping city crews clean out storm drains in Orlando to avoid flooding from anticipated rainfall. He said many of the storm drains in Orlando have baskets to catch anything that may slide down, making the cleaning process a bit easier.If you see flooding or other issues, you can report them on the city’s website by clicking here.> 3:13 p.m.: SunRail Service announces suspension of services for ThursdayThe Florida Department of Transportation will suspend SunRail service on Thursday in anticipation of Hurricane Helene.Services will resume as early as possible Friday morning if conditions are safe. > 1:45 p.m.: Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings finishes addressing residents, says the county is going into “emergency mode”Even though Hurricane Helene is not expected to directly pass through Orange County and other Central Florida locations, the storm’s massive size means everybody will feel impacts.Demings gave an overview of how the county is preparing, including opening a special needs shelter, providing sandbag service until 7 p.m. Wednesday and putting emergency officials on standby. “We’re in good shape,” Demings said.The mayor noted that utility officials from both OUC and Duke Energy were ready to deploy and mitigate any power outages that result from Helene’s high winds and heavy rains.All Orange County Public Schools will be closed Thursday, and a decision on Friday’s closure is still pending.Trash pickup in unincorporated Orange County is suspended Thursday. If your pickup time is affected, officials will collect your trash on Saturday, Demings said. Watch the full video in the player below.> 12:20 p.m.: Gov. Ron DeSantis will speak from Tallahassee for the second time todayDeSantis, Guthrie and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue are expected to speak from the State Emergency Operations Center at 3:30 p.m. > 11:30 a.m.: Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is expected to provide an update on the county’s storm readiness and preparation.The press conference is expected to begin at 1 p.m. > 11:40 a.m.: Rhome finishes giving NHC update on Hurricane Helene, now a Category 1 stormAs wind speeds increase and pressure drops inside Helene, NHC officials are tracking the storm’s projected path with 11 a.m. data. Rhome says Helene is expected to reach Category 3 status before making landfall in the panhandle. Watch the full video below.> 11 a.m.: The National Hurricane Center’s Deputy Director, Jamie Rhome, is expected to provide an update on Hurricane Helene at 11:30 a.m.The system was just upgraded to hurricane status. > 10:25 a.m.: Ron DeSantis finishes address from Tampa, urges Floridians to make final storm preparationsAs Helene moves into the Gulf of Mexico and gains strength on the way to Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis updated residents on the state’s preparations for the storm and urged Floridians to finalize their own plans.All preparations, including clearing yards, stocking up on materials, etc. should be complete by Wednesday, officials said. Florida will begin feeling impacts from Helene late Wednesday or early Thursday, and they will gradually become more severe.The governor said residents should pay attention to cones and projected maps, but reminded listeners that impacts will extend far beyond those models. In preparation for the massive tropical system, DeSantis said residents should pay close attention to their evacuation zones and orders, heeding any orders to leave low-lying or vulnerable areas. Click here to find your home’s zoneIn addition, DeSantis and Guthrie gave important updates about how the state is preparing for Helene. Click here to learn more.Watch the full press conference below.> Wednesday, 7 a.m.: DeSantis prepares to speak from Tampa as Helene gains strengthAhead of Helene’s projected landfall in Florida, the governor, along with Attorney General Ashely Moody and Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, is expected to speak from Tampa. The conference is set to begin at 9:30 a.m.More Helene coverage:>> Latest on Helene>> Track Helene: Spaghetti models, maps, projected path>> See Central Florida impacts in each county as Helene moves through state