Hurricane Helene is expected to maintain hurricane strength overnight when it reaches the Atlanta area. On Thursday morning, the storm was upgraded to a Category 2 storm as it moved across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida,

Officials warn of 'wide-scale event' across the state of Georgia from Hurricane Helene:::: Atlanta, Georgia:: Chris Stallings, Director, GEMA and Homeland Security“I don't want to put fear in some folks voice.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp warned that Hurricane Helene could be deadly. There is also concern that the Category 4 storm could cause landslides. NBC News’ Priscilla Thompson reports on how residents are preparing.

The Gulf Coast is already seeing Hurricane Helene's winds hours before the storm is set to make landfall. In Georgia, emergency officials are concerned power could be out for days.

A hurricane warning has been issued as far inland as Macon as Hurricane Helene threatens the entire state of Georgia, prompting Gov. Brian Kemp to issue a state of emergency for all 159 counties. The rest of Georgia is under a tropical storm warning,