Hurricane Helene continued to strengthen as it neared Florida's gulf coast Thursday. The storm is expected to bring historic flooding to the Southeast, with potential storm surges of up to 20 feet. Manuel Bojorquez has the latest from Tampa Bay.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is closed due to high wind as Hurricane Helene impacts the Tampa Bay area. At 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Florida Highway Patrol said wind gusts had reached 60 miles per hour at the Skyway and closed the bridge to traffic. Authorities usually shut down the four-mile bridge when wind speeds hit 40 mph.

With the worst of Hurricane Helene yet to impact the Tampa Bay region early Thursday, area school districts announced they would remain closed on Friday. Officials said the extra time off will allow them to clear campuses that have been used as evacuation shelters,and to assess and fix storm damage.