AN HOUR BY HOUR LOOK BACK AT HURRICANE HELENE

CAPE CORAL, Fla — Follow this page for around-the-clock information about how Hurricane Helene is impacting Southwest Florida.

Click here for the newest information about the storm.
Click here for information about what is closed in your community.

UPDATE: Friday 6:38 pm

Conserve water in Punta Gorda Notice sent to residents:

UPDATE: Friday 3:08 p.m.

The Fort Myers Police Department says the Edison Bridge has reopened in both directions.

UPDATE: Friday 2:07 p.m.

Collier County beaches are open, with the exception of Barefoot Beach.

UPDATE: Friday 12:06 p.m.
Lee County leaders say they have assessed all bridges and have deemed them safe.
Waste collection will work extended hours, and normal collection resumes on Monday. Yard waste must be placed in a container no heavier than 50 pounds.
All safe haven locations are now closed.

UPDATE: Friday 11:42 a.m.
The Sanibel Causeway will reopen at noon, according to city officials.
If you do not have business on the islands or do not live on the islands...stay off.
All beach parks are closed.

UPDATE: Friday 10:55 a.m.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office is deploying resources to help with efforts in the Big Bend.

UPDATE: Friday 10:52 a.m.
The Fort Myers Beach Ian Remembrance has been canceled.
Mayor Dan Allers a few businesses did take on water, but it did impact their equipment.

UPDATE: Friday 10:50 a.m.
Fort Myers: The southbound Edison Bridge is open. Northbound remains closed.

UPDATE: Friday 10:20 a.m.
Waste Management says waste collection has been suspended on Sanibel until Monday, September 30th.

UPDATE: Friday 9:05 a.m.
Charlotte County Emergency Management announces the US 41 bridge is back open

Update: Friday 7:22 a.m.:
The Storm Fox 4.0 is driving on to Fort Myers Beach for the first time since Hurricane Helene to see the damage.

Update: Friday 4:00 am:
Community Correspondents Miyoshi Price and Austin Schargorodski report on flooding in downtown Fort Myers.

Update: Friday 1:01am:
Latest storm surge totals as of 12:30AM from the National Weather Service

NWS Ruskin

Update: Friday 12:07am:
Neighbors are asked to continue to stay home and stay off the roadways - Fort Myers Police rescued a family stranded on First Street as the storm surge continues to rise

Update: Thursday 11:35pm:
Hurricane Helene officially made landfall in the Big Bend around 11:10 p.m. ET according to the National Hurricane Center

Update: Thursday 11:26pm:
Governor Ron Desantis gives an update on Hurricane Helene as it makes landfall

Update: Thursday 11:20pm:
Collier County Public Schools have decided to close all schools Friday, September 27th

Update: Thursday 11:00pm:
Charlotte County Emergency Management recommends the following safety steps if your house is flooded

Update: Thursday 10:54pm:
Neighbors in Naples are seeing flooding and power outages - FPL wants to remind residents to stay out of the water, especially when there are power outages in the area

Update: Thursday 10:39pm:
Fox 4's Ella Rhoades is in Fort Myers Beach on San Carlos Boulevard which continues to see water on the roads due to the storm surge. The water is expected to continue to rise until high tide later tonight.

Update: Thursday 10:23pm:

Good evening,
The District has made the decision to close all schools and district offices tomorrow. We are sending families this message now:Good evening SDLC families,
Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our students and staff, the School District has made the decision to close all schools and district offices on Friday, September 27th.
Stay safe and we look forward to everyone returning to school on Monday.
Thank you,
The School District of Lee County

Update: Thursday 10:18pm:

Our Myioshi Price is in Downtown Fort Myers where the storm surge continues to rise and flood streets in the area

Update: Thursday 10:05pm:

Neighbors are being asked to stay off the roads until further notice due to widespread flooding

Lee County Sheriff's Office Marine Deputies were out in the Fort Myers Beach area after residents called for help from the rising water

Update: Thursday 9:50pm:
In a letter to families of three school districts tomorrow the decision has been made to keep Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach and Pine Island Schools closed Friday, September 27th.

Dear Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach, and Pine Island School communities,

The District continues to work with the Lee County Emergency Operations Center as we monitor the effects of Hurricane Helene to our area. As we advised you in our earlier message, our teams have been assessing our school and district buildings for damage or concerning weather related conditions.

Due to the increase in the storm’s intensity and expected high tide at 1am, out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to keep the barrier island schools closed on Friday, September 27, 2024. This includes Fort Myers Beach Elementary, The Sanibel School, and Pine Island Elementary School.

We will communicate with you at a later date about making up that classroom time.Our teams will continue assessing the weather conditions and our school buildings and we will communicate with you if there are additional updates.

Thank you,
The School District of Lee County

Update: Thursday 9:15pm:

US Coast Guard rescues a man and his dog off of Sanibel Island On Thursday. The man's 36 ft sail boat capsized and took on water about 25 miles off the coast. This was right before Hurricane Helene passed the island.

Update: Thursday 9:11pm:

Everything on Cape Coral Parkway between the Cape Coral Bridge and Palm Tree Boulevard is impassable. Most roadways south of that area are also impassable. Do not attempt to drive through these areas.

Update: Thursday 9:06pm

San Carlos Blvd East of Matanzas Pass with heavy flooding due to Hurricane Helene storm surge rushing in.

Update: Thursday 8:39pm

The Swamp Buggy from The Lee County Sheriff's Office was deployed near Margaritaville on Fort Myers Beach. See the video below. You can see the water rushing in. The storm surge over four feet.

Update: Thursday 8:32pm

Storm surge rushing in on San Carlos Blvd. flooding the streets. Bridges to Fort Myers Beach impassable. The water continues to rise.

Update: Thursday 8:03pm

The Edison Bridge is now closed.

Update: Thursday 7:42pm

Heavy damage reported on Upper Captiva, a viewer sent us these photos shot Thursday around 5pm after Hurricane Helene rolled through. Residents said it may have been a tornado. There is nothing confirmed at this point. But there were high winds up to 84 mph on the island confirmed by a wind gauge on the island.

Update: Thursday 7:00pm

The Town of Fort Myers Beach urges residents to shelter in place as flooding from storm surge is flooding along Estero Blvd and side streets is beginning to increase significantly.

Update: Thursday 5:55pm

Collier County Public Schools confirms they will be OPEN tomorrow Friday September 27th.

Update: Thursday 4:06pm

The School District of Lee County has made the decision to reopen all schools and District offices on Friday, September 27, 2024.

Dear SDLC Families,

The District has been working directly with the Lee County Emergency Operations Center as we monitor the effects of Hurricane Helene to our area. School officials have already begun preliminary assessments of District buildings and will continue to do so throughout the day.

Initial assessments thus far show no significant damage to our sites. The National Hurricane Center projects the majority of the storm to be past our area by this evening. Therefore, the District has made the decision to reopen all schools and District offices on Friday, September 27, 2024.

As we continue to assess individual campuses, we will work with those respective school administrations to resolve any concerning issues and communicate with impacted families and staff accordingly.

Thank you.
The School District of Lee County

Update: Thursday 3:36pm

Update: Thursday 2:05 p.m.
Several streets are flooded right now in St. James City.
Fox 4's Ella Rhoades was there a short time ago:

Update: Thursday 1:45 p.m.
As we reported earlier, crews have closed the US 41 Bridge in Punta Gorda.
Fox 4's Charlotte County Community Correspondent Alex Orenczuk reports from the scene:

Update: Thursday 1:35 p.m.
Water is flowing over the Matlacha Bridge.
Watch Fox 4 Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades' report here:

And here's a live look of the bridge:

Update: Thursday 1:20 p.m.
Fox 4 Community Correspondent Bella Line reports on flooded roads in Punta Gorda. Watch here:

Update: 12:55 p.m.
Northbound 41 Bridge in Punta Gorda closed

Additional closures include:

Taylor St between W. Retta Esplanade and W. Marion Ave
-Wood St between E. Marion Ave and E Olympia Ave
-MLK between E. Marion and E. Olympia
-Chasteen St. between W. Olympia and W. Retta Esplanade
-Berry St. between W. Retta Esplanade and W. Marion Ave
-Dolly St. between W. Marion Ave and W. Retta Esplanade
-Gill St. between W. Retta Esplanade and W. Marion Ave
-Sullivan St. between W. Retta Esplanade and W. Marion Ave
-Nesbit St. between E. Olympia and E. Marion
-Nesbit St. between E. Marion Ave and Tamiami Trail
-Rio Villa Dr at Vasco St
-Rio Villa Dr at Almar Dr
-Brown St. Between E. Marion Ave and E. Olympia Ave
-Dupont St. and E. Marion Ave
-W. Marion Ave between Dolly St and Maud St
-E. Marion Ave and Cooper St
-W. Marion Ave between Tamiami Trail and Shreve St
- McGregor St and W. Olympia Ave

Update 11:21 a.m.
Sanibel update from the city manager's office

"Strong gusts of wind and heavy rain bands are moving over our area and the weather conditions will continue to deteriorate throughout the day. Portions of roadways throughout the island have experienced flooding, with substantial flooding in the Blind Pass area, Bailey Road, and Dixie Beach Blvd. Please use caution and avoid driving over flooded roads"
Power outages have been reported.

UPDATE: 11:12 a.m.
School tomorrow in Lee County?
We're receiving anumber of questions regarding school tomorrow in Lee County.
FOX 4's Amy Wegmann just reached out to the Lee County School District - asking for an answer.

UPDATE: Thursday 10:20 a.m.
Fort Myers Police announced several roads are closed, including the northbound lanes of the Edison Bridge.

UPDATE: Thursday 10:10 a.m.
Collier County Sheriff's Office announced several road closures because of flooding.

UPDATE: Thursday 10:02 a.m.
FOX 4's Austin Schargorodskiis tracking flooding in Downtown Fort Myers.

UPDATE: Thursday 9:47 a.m.
Lee County Update
Lee County leaders are expected to give an update at noon.
You can watch here.

UPDATE: Thursday 9:15 a.m.
"Pretty good likelihood that we'll have to close the bridge for safety."
FOX 4's Kaitlin Knapp just spoke with Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers about a possible closure of the Matanzas Pass Bridge.

You can see Kaitlin's full report here:

UPDATE Thursday, 8:42 a.m.
Suspected Tornado in North Fort Myers
Lee County Public Safety's Ben Abes tells FOX 4 a short-track, suspected tornado touched down at the corner of Palm Creek Drive and Bayshore Boulevard.

Ryan Kruger - FOX 4

Abes says the tornado moved northwest for about a quarter mile.

Ryan Kruger - FOX 4

Additionally, Abes says there have been reports of a touchdown at Orange River Boulevard and River Grove Lane with reports of roof and cosmetic damage.

Lee County Public Safety says this could be the same suspected tornado that could have possibly touched down in North Fort Myers.

The call was reported around 8:10 a.m.

Residents say they saw a tornado on the ground, and there is roof damage to multiple buildings.

No injuries have been reported.

UPDATE: Thursday 8:10 a.m.
Senior Reporter Kaitlin Knapp reports that conditions are worsening on Fort Myers Beach.
Watch her live report:

UPDATE: Thursday 8:00 a.m.
Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price got a text from a source in her community who told her there was flooding near the Edison Bridge. Watch her live report:

UPDATE: Thursday 7:38 a.m.
We're tracking power outages across Southwest Florida.
LCEC customers can check here.
FPL customers can check here.

UPDATE: Thursday 6:30 a.m.
Senior ReporterKaitlin Knapp was live in Storm Fox 4.0 to report water over some roads in Fort Myers Beach.

UPDATE: Thursday 6:05 a.m.
Senior Reporter Ryan Kruger reports that the wind is picking up in Cape Coral.

UPDATE: Thursday 5:20 a.m.
Senior ReporterKaitlin Knapp took Storm Fox 4.0 around Fort Myers Beach to report on conditions there early Thursday morning.
Watch her live report here:

UPDATE: Wednesday 11:30 p.m.

Watch the latest forecast in the video player below.

UPDATE: Wednesday 10 p.m.

Neighbors in Fort Myers beach spent Wednesday preparing their homes and communities for Helene, just a few days before the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Ian.

UPDATE: Wednesday 9:30 p.m.

Lee County's Emergency Operation Center has entered Level Two of its emergency activation levels. Level Two is a "partial activation." Activating this level allows the EOC to bring in additional staff, or extend staffing hours. Read more about the Activation Levels on Lee County's website.

UPDATE: Wednesday 8:30 p.m.

In a rare move further indicating the gravity of Hurricane Helene, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a news release on Wednesday night urging communities in the hurricane's path to prepare for "catastrophic, life-threatening inland flooding."

In the release, NOAA calls Helene an "unusually large storm." Areas well inland of landfall— up to hundreds of miles— will experience flooding. NOAA pointed to these areas of major flood risk:

• Tallahassee
• Metro Atlanta
• Western North Carolina

Flash floods and landslides are possible in the southern Appalachians.
NOAA is urging communities to follow all evacuation and safety orders issued by local government agencies.

Sarasota County government offices will be closed Thursday.

UPDATE: Wednesday 7:45 p.m.

Safe Havens are open as of this afternoon in Lee County. LeeTran will continue to provide service to the Safe Havens, at North Fort Myers Recreation Center and Estero Recreation Center, until 10 p.m. All other fixed-route bus operations are now suspended and will resume Friday.

UPDATE: Wednesday 7:00 p.m.

Eight airlines have cancelled flights out of Southwest Florida International Airport on Thursday. Major airlines including American, Delta and United have cancelled early morning flights so far.

Florida Governor Ron Desantis is urging those outside of the "cone" to continue to be cautious of hazards like flooding.

UPDATE: Wednesday 5:00 p.m.

Helene is now expected to strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane before it makes landfall. See the latest weather update below.

UPDATE: Wednesday 4:15 pm
Fox 4 Senior Reporter, Ryan Kruger, looked into what FPL and LCEC are doing to keep the power on during Hurricane Helene

UPDATE: Wednesday 3:40 pm
City of Cape Coral update on Hurricane Helene
Watch the entire news conference here:

UPDATE: Wednesday 3:25 pm
Fox 4 Community Correspondent, Mahmoud Bennett went to Fort Myers Beach to see a couple he first met during Hurricane Debby when their house flooded, to see how they're preparing for Helene.

UPDATE: Wednesday 3:20 pm
Collier County Safe Havens will open at 6 am on Thursday.

UPDATE: Wednesday 3:14 pm
Lee County launched a new website to keep people updated on resources and the response to Hurricane Helene

Lee County Government

UPDATE: Wednesday 3:05 pm
South Trail Fire Department just got sand for sandbags.

UPDATE: Wednesday 2:45 pm
Fox 4 Community Correspondent, Austin Schargorodski spent the day talking to people in Cape Coral who waited in lines for gas, to "prepare for the worst."