Wildfires erupt in New Jersey, fueled by dry, windy conditions

(NEW YORK) — Helene — which strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday — is taking aim at Florida, where it’s forecast to make landfall along the Big Bend area on Thursday night.

Here’s how the news is developing:

Damaging winds expected as Helene’s speed increases

Hurricane Helene’s landfall may see “damaging winds” penetrate as far inland as major metro areas like Atlanta, Georgia, the National Hurricane Center warned.

A hurricane warning is currently in place for parts of Florida and Georgia. This includes Tallahassee and Apalachicola, Florida, and Valdosta, Columbus and Macon, Georgia.

A tropical storm warning is in place for cities including Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville and Atlanta. Dothan, Alabama, Charleston, South Carolina, and Asheville, North Carolina are also under tropical storm warnings.

The hurricane is expected to gather speed to Category 3 status — with winds of 111 mph and above — by the time it makes landfall on the Florida coast on Thursday night.

Helene’s damaging winds could reach Atlanta and other cities by Friday morning, subsequently passing into the Appalachians and Ohio Valley by Friday afternoon.

Helene strengthening ahead of Thursday landfall

Hurricane Helene is strengthening as it approaches landfall in Florida, with winds at 90 mph as of Thursday morning.

Helene remains a Category 1 hurricane. Category 2 status begins with winds of 96 mph.

Landfall is projected after 9 p.m. ET on Thursday southeast of Tallahassee.

The National Hurricane Center predicted that Helene will be a Category 3 hurricane — with winds of more than 111 mph — by the time the storm makes landfall.

Storm surges are predicted to be 15 feet and above in Florida’s Big Bend area and between 4 and 8 feet in the Tampa Bay area.

Extreme flash flooding remains a major concern in Georgia and the Carolinas through Thursday night and into Friday morning.

Latest forecast

Helene — currently a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 85 mph — is now located about 425 miles south-southwest of Tampa, Florida.

The worst of the storm surge — up to 20 feet — is expected in Florida’s Big Bend area, where Helene’s set to make landfall.

Landfall is forecast between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday as a major Category 4 hurricane with winds up to 130 mph.

Six to 12 inches of rain is in the forecast, with 18 inches projected locally.

MLB postpones Mets-Braves games in Atlanta due to weather forecast

Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that the scheduled games between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Truist Park in Atlanta this week have been postponed due to the forecast and the inclement weather.

The games originally scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday nights have been moved to a doubleheader on Monday, Sept. 30, according to the MLB’s statement.

The first game will begin at 1:10 p.m. ET and the second game will begin 40 minutes after the last out of the first game, the MLB said.

Monday is a single-admission doubleheader with only one ticket required for both games, according to the statement.

Helene forecast to make landfall as Category 4

Helene, currently a Category 1 hurricane, is forecast to make landfall as a major Category 4 hurricane with winds up to 130 mph.

Landfall is forecast between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region.

Mandatory evacuations in effect in at least 20 Florida counties

Mandatory evacuations are in effect in parts of at least 20 Florida counties, including Taylor, Sarasota, Gulf and Hillsborough.

North Carolina, Georgia declare states of emergency

North Carolina and Georgia have declared states of emergency ahead of Hurricane Helene, their governors announced on Wednesday.

“The current forecast for Hurricane Helene suggests this storm will impact every part of our state,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp warned in a statement. “We are not taking anything for granted, which is why I have directed appropriate state agencies to work around the clock to ensure we’re prepared for whatever is heading our way.”

The heavy rain, flash flooding and winds are also threatening the mountains and Piedmont areas of North Carolina, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said. The state is preparing water rescue teams and urban search and rescue teams to help respond to the storm, he said.

Universities, schools close as Helene approaches

Florida A&M University, the University of Tampa, the University of Florida and Florida State University’s Tallahassee campus have all announced closures ahead of Hurricane Helene’s landfall. The University of Tampa is under a mandatory evacuation order.

Younger students will also be out of school. Only six out of Florida’s 67 counties have public school districts that will remain open on Thursday. Public schools are also closed in Atlanta on Thursday and Friday.

-ABC News’ Alex Faul

Helene’s latest forecast

Helene, currently a Category 1 hurricane, is forecast to make landfall between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday as a major Category 3 hurricane.

Helene is a large storm, so it could bring life-threatening storm surge for the entire West Coast of the Florida Peninsula.

The worst of the storm surge — up to 18 feet — is expected in Florida’s Big Bend area, where Helene’s set to make landfall.

The Tampa Bay area could see up to 8 feet of storm surge; coastal flooding is possible as far south as Fort Myers and Naples.

After Thursday night’s landfall, Helene will bring heavy rain and high winds to the inland Southeast.

Flash flooding is a risk from the Florida Panhandle up to Asheville, North Carolina, and the Appalachians through Friday.

Five to 10 inches of rain is in the forecast, with 15 inches projected locally.

-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin

Helene’s latest forecast

Helene, currently a Category 1 hurricane, is forecast to make landfall between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday as a major Category 3 hurricane.

Helene is a large storm, so it could bring life-threatening storm surge for the entire West Coast of the Florida Peninsula.

The worst of the storm surge– up to 18 feet — is expected in Florida’s Big Bend area, where Helene’s set to make landfall.

The Tampa Bay area could see up to 8 feet of storm surge; coastal flooding is possible as far south as Fort Myers and Naples.

After Thursday night’s landfall, Helene will bring heavy rain and high winds to the inland Southeast.

Flash flooding is a risk from the Florida Panhandle up to Asheville, North Carolina, and the Appalachians through Friday.

Five to 10 inches of rain is in the forecast, with 15 inches projected locally.

-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin

Mandatory evacuations in effect in at least 19 Florida counties

Mandatory evacuations are in effect in parts of at least 19 Florida counties, including Taylor, Sarasota, Gulf and Hillsborough.

Tampa, St. Pete-Clearwater airports to close

The Tampa International Airport will close at 2 a.m. Thursday ahead of Hurricane Helene, officials said.

Airport officials expect to reopen Friday.

The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport is also closing on Thursday and plans to reopen Friday.

Universities, schools close as Helene approaches

Florida A&M University, the University of Tampa, the University of Florida and Florida State University’s Tallahassee campus have all announced closures ahead of Hurricane Helene’s landfall. The University of Tampa is under a mandatory evacuation order.

Younger students will also be out of school in counties including Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando, Citrus, Sarasota, Leon and Hillsborough.

-ABC News’ Alex Faul

University of Tampa students ordered to evacuate

The University of Tampa is ordering all students who live on campus to evacuate by 1 p.m. Wednesday, citing mandatory evacuation orders from Hillsborough County officials.

Hurricane Helene is forecast to bring dangerous storm surge to the Tampa Bay area.

“The residence halls will be closed after the evacuation concludes, and there will be no entry allowed into residential buildings until they are reopened following the storm,” the university said in a message to students.

The University of Tampa said it plans to resume operations on Monday.

-ABC News’ Alex Faul

Helene strengthens to Category 1 hurricane

Helene has strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80 mph.

Helene — now located about 500 miles south-southwest of Tampa, Florida — is the fifth hurricane to form in the Atlantic Basin this season.

64 of Florida’s 67 counties under watches or warnings

Sixty-four out of Florida’s 67 counties are under alerts as Helene nears the state, said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Only three counties — Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa — are not under some type of watch or warning, like tropical storm, storm surge or hurricane, he said.

Wednesday is the last day for Floridians to finalize preparations before Helene hits, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned.

All Floridians should be prepared for power outages, DeSantis added.

At least 12 health care facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, are evacuating, and more may choose to do so in the coming hours, the governor said.

-ABC News’ Alex Faul

Extreme flash flooding possible in Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia, Carolinas

Extreme flash flooding is possible in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

First, a storm system separate from Helene is hitting the south on Wednesday. Up to 6 inches of rain is possible over the next 24 hours, bringing a flash flood risk from Atlanta to Asheville, North Carolina.

Then, Thursday afternoon through Friday morning, Hurricane Helene will bring even more extreme rain and flooding to the southern Appalachians.

A rare “high risk” alert for heavy rain has been issued. Up to 15 inches of rain is possible in some spots.

-ABC News’ Max Golembo

How storm surge works and why it’s so dangerous

Helene is forecast to bring 10 to 15 feet of dangerous storm surge to Florida’s Big Bend area, and 4 to 8 feet of storm surge to Tampa Bay.

In 2005, during Hurricane Katrina, at least 1,500 people died “directly, or indirectly, as a result of storm surge,” according to the National Hurricane Center.

Click here to read how storm surge works and why it’s so dangerous.

Helene nears hurricane strength

Tropical Storm Helene is nearing hurricane strength Wednesday morning as it churns just of the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Helene is about 100 miles west-southwest from the western tip of Cuba.

Tropical storm forecast to ‘rapidly’ intensify into major hurricane

Tropical Storm Helene was expected to “rapidly” strengthen and grow in size as it moved on Wednesday into the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. weather officials said.

The storm as of about 4 a.m. local time had maximum sustained winds of about 65 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It was expected to intensify into a hurricane on Wednesday, before further strengthening into a “major” hurricane on Thursday, the center said.

Helene early Wednesday was traveling northwest at about 9 mph, the center said.

“On the forecast track, the center of Helene will pass near the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula this morning, move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico on later today and Thursday, and reach the Big Bend coast of Florida late Thursday,” the center said.

Biden approves Florida emergency declaration ahead of Helene’s landfall

As Florida residents prepare for Tropical Storm Helene to make landfall Thursday, the White House has approved the state’s emergency declaration.

President Biden’s approval allows for federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will coordinate all federal disaster relief efforts, according to the White House’s statement.

Biden’s approval Tuesday comes as officials in Sarasota County announced a Level A evacuation order for portions of two neighborhoods beginning Wednesday morning at 7:00 a.m. ET.

Officials encouraged residents in Curry Creek, Hatchett Creek, Venice and those in Forked Creek, Englewood to be aware of the conditions and stay alert for further updates.

Hurricane warnings issued for portions of Florida’s Panhandle, Big Bend and Gulf Coast

On the current track, Tropical Storm Helene is forecast to make landfall late Thursday night, between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. ET, as a major Category 3 hurricane with winds up to 115 mph in the Florida Big Bend region.

Hurricane warnings have been issued for Florida’s Panhandle, Big Bend and Gulf Coast regions and hurricane watch warnings have extended into southern Georgia.

Officials have issued tropical storm warnings from Naples and Fort Myers to Orlando and tropical storm watch warnings are in place across Florida’s east coast up to Savannah, Georgia.

Helene’s latest forecast

Helene is expected to strengthen to a hurricane on Wednesday as it enters the Gulf of Mexico and strengthen further to a major Category 3 hurricane by Thursday morning.

A hurricane watch is in effect in Florida from Tallahassee to Tampa, where hurricane conditions will be possible late Wednesday night through late Thursday night.

Wednesday night into Thursday morning, Helene’s outer bands will start to lash Florida’s Gulf Coast. The worst of the conditions will be throughout the day on Thursday.

Helene is forecast to make landfall Thursday night along Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 3 hurricane. Winds could be up to 115 mph during landfall.

Helene is expected to be a large hurricane, which means impacts will extend significantly beyond the center, impacting most of Florida and much of the Southeast.

After landfall, Helene is forecast to quickly move north into Georgia, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the South.

A significant flash flood risk stretches from the Florida Panhandle to South Carolina — including Tallahassee to Atlanta — Thursday night into early Friday.

-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin

How much rain, storm surge to expect

Ten to 15 feet of dangerous storm surge is forecast for Florida’s Big Bend area. Tampa Bay could see 4 to 8 feet of storm surge.

Four to 8 inches of rain is expected from Helene, with 12 inches locally, bringing major flash flooding.

Tornadoes are also possible on Wednesday and Thursday.

Damaging wind gusts over 100 mph will be possible in Tallahassee and Florida’s Big Bend area during landfall Thursday night.

-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin

Universities, schools close ahead of Helene

Ahead of Helene, Florida A&M University in Tallahassee canceled class from Tuesday afternoon through Friday. The university will be closed Wednesday through Friday.

Florida A&M said this weekend’s home football game and parents’ weekend will be rescheduled.

Florida State University said its Tallahassee campus will be closed from Wednesday morning to Sunday night.

FSU Tallahassee students can stay on campus during the closure, but should plan for possible power outages and be prepared to possibly stay inside all day Thursday, the university warned.

Officials in Florida are also closing public schools in multiple counties, including Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando, Citrus and Sarasota.

Mandatory evacuations have been announced in parts of Charlotte and Franklin counties.

Helene strengthens to tropical storm: Latest forecast

Helene, currently located about 180 miles east southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, strengthened to a tropical storm on Tuesday morning.

The forecast shows Helene moving through the Yucatan Channel Wednesday morning, bringing near hurricane-force wind gusts to Cancun, Mexico.

By Thursday morning, coastal flooding will reach Florida, including Naples and Fort Myers.

On Thursday night, Helene will make landfall near Apalachicola, Florida.

Dangerous wind gusts up to 105 mph are expected and storm surge will be a major threat for the Tampa Bay area.

By Friday morning, the center of Helene will be near Atlanta, bringing strong winds to Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Downed trees and power lines will be a major danger across the Southeast.

The flash flood threat will continue into the weekend in the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys.

State of emergency declared in 61 Florida counties

Helene is forecast to be a major hurricane by the time it makes landfall Thursday night, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Monday.

A state of emergency has been declared in 61 of Florida’s 67 counties, DeSantis said.

“The Big Bend and Panhandle should be especially prepared for a direct impact,” the governor said, and he urged residents to know their evacuation zone.

“You have time to be able to put this place into place,” DeSantis said, noting Helene’s impacts could begin Wednesday.

Latest forecast

Helene will strengthen to a hurricane Tuesday night, and rain is expected to begin in Florida Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning.

On Thursday evening, Helene will make landfall along Florida’s Big Bend area, located between Tallahassee and Gainesville.

Storm surge could reach up to 15 feet in the Big Bend area.

Heavy rain and strong winds are also major threats.

A hurricane watch is in effect for Florida’s Gulf Coast and a tropical storm watch was issued from Orlando to the Florida Keys.

By Thursday night into Friday, the storm will quickly push into Georgia with very heavy rain, gusty winds and possible flash flooding.

This weekend, the storm will stall over the Mid-South, bringing heavy rain and possible flooding to the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys.

A flood watch has been issued in Florida from Fort Myers to Tampa to Tallahassee, as well as in southern Georgia and Alabama.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Claiming superior leadership and casting himself as the true agent of change were keys to Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, per ABC News exit poll results.

He also prevailed by a wide margin among the small group of so-called “double haters” — voters with an unfavorable opinion of both candidates.

In a list of four candidate qualities, 30% of voters nationally rated “has the ability to lead” as most important to their vote, and about as many, 28%, chose “can bring needed change.” Fewer picked “has good judgment” (20%) or “cares about people like me” (18%).

These choices were closely tied to candidate preferences. Among those who cited leadership ability as the top candidate attribute, Trump beat Kamala Harris by 2-1, 66-33%. On bringing about change, the gap widened to 3-1, 74-24%.

That huge gap on change reflects Harris’ difficulties distancing herself from the unpopular Biden administration, a dynamic covered in ABC News/Ipsos pre-election polling. Seventy-four percent of Americans said they wanted Harris, if elected, to take a new direction from President Joe Biden’s. Only 33% thought she would.

Harris pushed back with big leads among voters who picked judgment or empathy as most important — but there were fewer of them.

Taken another way, among Trump supporters, 41% chose “can bring needed change” as the most important candidate attribute in their vote and 40% chose leadership, totaling to eight in 10 of all his voters.

By contrast, about six in 10 Harris supporters chose judgment or caring as top qualities to them. Compared with Trump, half as many cited leadership and a third as many picked the ability to bring change.

Personal favorability was another factor.

In 2020, Biden was seen favorably by 52%, 6 percentage points above Trump’s 46%. This year, Harris ended up rated essentially as unfavorably as Trump — 47-52%, favorable-unfavorable, for Harris, and 46-53% for Trump. (This is a change from preliminary exit poll results, in which Trump was 11 points underwater in favorability, Harris just 2 points.)

Notably, Trump won the 8% of voters who rated both candidates unfavorably, by 26 points, 56-30%.

Look also at assessments of how extreme the candidates’ views were: 47% said Harris’ views were too extreme; 54% said that of Trump. But among those who said both were too extreme, again 8% of voters, Trump won by a broad 42 points, 63-21%.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — After waiting six months — and losing $4 billion on paper — former President Donald Trump faces a potential windfall from his social media company.

Half a year after the public company behind Trump’s Truth Social platform went public, the “lockup” agreement that prevented Trump from selling any of his 115 million shares expired on Thursday afternoon.

Beginning to sell his shares could allow Trump to profit handsomely from his stake in the company — which is currently valued at approximately $1.7 billion — but it could crater the stock for the company’s diehard supporters, many of whom invested their money in the company as a sign of their support for the former president.

At the same time, holding onto the investment would be a financial leap of faith for Trump, whose shares comprise a large percentage of his net worth but have lost billions of dollars in value over the last six months.

Asked about the choice last week, Trump vowed not to sell.

“They’re worth billions of dollars, but I don’t want to sell my shares,” Trump said. “I’m not going to sell my shares. I don’t need money.”

Trump’s choice comes amid new financial pressures and a significant reshuffling of his financial portfolio.

While Trump’s net worth has grown to $4.3 billion according to the most recent Forbes estimate, the former president owes over $560 million in civil judgments, which he is actively appealing. The majority of his personal wealth — once built on the namesake properties that shot him to fame — now stems from his shares in his social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group, which have fallen more than 70% since the company went public.

Analysts, meanwhile, have expressed concern about a further decline if Trump loses the November election.

Shares in Trump Media closed at a new low of $14.70 Thursday ahead of the lockup provision expiring, though the company enjoyed a 25% surge last week after Trump announced his plan to hold his shares.

“When he’s promised to do something, he’s kept his word,” said Jerry Dean McLain, a shareholder who purchased a hundred additional shares after Trump’s pledge. “He’s loyal to his followers — to his people — so I don’t have any reason not to believe him.”

‘Nothing like this’

Trump turned to the idea of creating his own social media company in the months following his ban from Twitter and other social media companies after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Truth Social launched in 2022, billing itself as a beacon for free speech on the internet with larger plans to expand into streaming.

“All of a sudden, I went from being No. 1 to having no voice,” Trump said about the benefit of Truth Social. “I’m not going to let that happen again.”

Despite multiple roadblocks — including a dispute with the company’s cofounders and its special purpose acquisition company paying a fine to settle fraud charges with the Securities and Exchange commission — the social media company went public in March.

Shares in the public company peaked at $66 in April, with analysts comparing the company to so-called “meme stocks” like AMC and GameStop, whose share prices surged based on investor enthusiasm rather than financial metrics.

By the summer, Trump Media’s stock price lingered around $30 before slumping to the teens in September, which some experts still believe is overvaluing the company, which only brought in $836,000 in revenue last quarter — a 30% decline from a year earlier. Based on the company’s cash per share, the stock is overvalued by 1,000%, according to University of Florida finance professor Jay Ritter.

With the company losing millions of dollars, reporting limited revenue, and offering an unproven business model, the stock’s performance has frequently tracked with Trump’s personal wins and losses. When Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York, the stock declined 14% in after-hours trading following the verdict. Shares then surged as much as 30% early trading on the Monday after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“It’s much more of a speculative half-proxy for the former president’s reelection prospects and half kind of a long shot early-stage opportunity to get in on a potential new tech company and social media platform,” said Tyler Richey, an analyst at Sevens Report Research.

While it’s not unusual for a company’s stock price to fluctuate based on its corporate leadership, Trump’s relationship to the value of his company stands alone, according to Mike Stegemoller, a finance professor at Baylor University. Trump is the platform’s most notable user, he attracts new members to the platform, and he is the company’s largest shareholder.

“Publicly traded corporations … are somewhat dependent on personalities, but nothing like this,” said Stegemoller. “You’re getting this asset that generates cash flows, and you’re coupling that with a personality that’s pulling revenue to that asset.”

In regulatory filings, the company has acknowledged the risk of being tied to the former president. If Trump were to sell his shares or begin using another social media platform, the company’s stock value could suffer.

Trump, for his part, has vowed to continue posting on Truth Social.

“I love it. I use it as a method of getting out my word,” Trump said last week regarding the platform.

‘A much more profitable deal’

The lockup agreement that’s kept Trump from selling off his shares in the first six months is an arrangement that’s often used by public companies to prevent company leadership from taking actions that could affect the stock price, according to Ritter.

Trump’s 115 million shares means he owns more than half of the company, so selling those shares — which Trump would have to disclose within two days in a public filing — could trigger a massive selloff and tank the company’s stock price.

“As soon as folks know he’s getting out in any large amount, I would imagine shares would fall,” said Stegemoller.

According to Stegemoller, Trump’s announcement last week that he would not sell his shares is reasonable — not only because Trump likely wants the company to succeed, but also because selling his shares too rapidly could cost him money. Because he holds so many shares, Trump would be unlikely to fully offload them all before the stock price plummeted, forcing him to sell his remaining shares at a lower price.

Alternatively, Trump could slowly sell some of his shares, arrange a deal with a buyer, or use the shares as collateral for loans. Selling some of his shares would allow Trump to still own a controlling interest in the company while diversifying his portfolio, according to Stegemoller.

“Selling slowly over time in order to pull money out of his investment is a much more reasonable deal for him, and a much more profitable deal for him, too,” Stegemoller said.

Although Trump has publicly declared that he plans to hold his shares, executives in the company could consider selling their holdings, which could also impact the stock price.

“They might want to get out as quickly as possible, and rather than sell their shares gradually, it might be a rush for the exit,” said Ritter.

‘I’m not leaving’

Trump has suggested that the company’s sluggish stock performance is partially due to speculation about him stepping away from the company — a notion he tried to dispel last week.

“People think that I’m leaving. That’s why they’re down,” Trump said regarding shares in the company. “It’s different if I leave, but I’m not leaving. I love it.”

And some analysts believe the expiration of the lockup provision could prove to be a turning point for the company.

According to Richey, a recent spike in trading volume and other metrics suggest that the stock price might be reaching a bottom, while Trump’s decision to hold his shares could reassure investors.

Speculation about Trump’s chances of winning in the November election could also help the stock price.

“There’s still money in the markets supporting a Donald Trump win if you’re using the stock price as a proxy for the election outcome,” Richey said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.