ATLANTA — Hurricane Helene strengthened early Thursday into a Category 4 storm over the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to strengthen further before it arrives in metro Atlanta and north Georgia after midnight in the early Friday morning hours.
Preparations in Atlanta are underway for possibly severe impacts from Helene. For a full range of what the city is doing to prepare, see this article.
RELATED: Hurricane Helene strengthens to Category 4 storm | Live updates for metro Atlanta, north Georgia
On Thursday morning, the Salvation Army and Atlanta's 311 services hotline provided updates. A full report from 11Alive's Liza Lucas is available in the video player above this story.
The basics from new information Thursday morning:
The Salvation Army is opening a severe weather shelter tonight:
- Where it's at: 469 Marietta Street in Atlanta
- When it's open: From 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. tomorrow morning (Friday, September 27)
- Availability: First-come-first-served.
- Cot situation: The Salvation Army says there are 10 cots available for men, five for women and 10 for families.
- Food: The Salvation Army says that upon exit, everyone who stays at the shelter will be provided with a bagged lunch.
Additionally, Atlanta's 311 services hotline is having extended hours:
- The 311 hotline will be open all overnight and not close until midnight on Friday, Sept. 27. Full information below:
More on Helene
Hurricane Helene is forecast to quickly intensify as it moves through the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, becoming a major hurricane. It will make landfall late Thursday along Florida's Big Bend region, not far from Apalachicola. In anticipation of the storm's impacts, Georgia's governor issued a State of Emergency to free up resources.
11Alive has issued a Weather Impact Alert for Wednesday night for pre-Helene tropical downpours, then for Thursday and Friday in north Georgia due to impacts from Helene.
Download the 11Alive News mobile app and turn on alerts to get the latest updates on the storm's track from our team. Stream extended forecasts and live radar on the 11Alive+ streaming app, available on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV.