Florida live cams: See beaches from Apalachicola to Panama City as Hurricane Helene nears landfall

Florida and much of the Southeast were bracing Wednesday for a powerful blast from Hurricane Helene, gaining strength and forecast to make landfall Thursday as a devastating, Category 3 hurricane.

AccuWeather forecasters were predicting Helene could reach Category 4 strength in the Gulf, with maximum sustained winds ranging between 130 and 156 mph, before making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 111-129 mph.

The highest landfall probability was somewhere along the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle − including the Big Bend area, the curve of Florida's peninsula around the Gulf of Mexico − late Thursday, forecasters said. Near where Helene makes landfall, general rainfall of 8-12 inches is forecast, with 2 feet of rain possible in isolated areas.