Thousands of Marion County residents out of power as Hurricane Helene approaches Panhandle

[National Hurricane Center]

As of 9:30 p.m., 4,879 Ocala Electric Utility customers are out of power in Marion County.

Hurricane Helene has grown to a Category 4 storm as it approaches the Florida Big Bend region and is expected to make landfall Thursday night.

The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds have reached 125 mph.

Western Marion County remains under a hurricane watch and central and eastern Marion are under a tropical storm warning. The entire county is under flood watch and tornado watch.