Strong waves and wind gusts start to batter Florida’s Gulf coast, south of Tallahassee, as Hurricane Helene approaches. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Helene -- which it described as one of the largest Gulf hurricanes in recent decades -- is expected to make landfall at or near Florida's Big Bend coast in the evening and could develop into a Category 3 or 4. The US weather service warned that howling wind will drive destructive waves and storm surge as high as 20 feet (six meters) onto the low-lying coast. IMAGES