The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is closed, as of just before 2 p.m. on Thursday, as outer bands from Hurricane Helene, now a Category 3 hurricane churning in the Gulf of Mexico on its way to landfall in the Big Bend area, bear down on the Tampa Bay area with tropical storm-force winds.

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.

After Hurricane Helene's devastating landfall, key Florida highways are reopening, but many coastal routes remain closed as crews work to clear debris and assess damage.