Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference late Thursday night that there has been one fatality as Hurricane Helene's dangerous conditions bombard the state.

The death occurred on the I-4 highway near Tampa when a sign fell on a car.

"It just shows you that there are very dangerous conditions out there," DeSantis said.

DeSantis warned Floridians that there may be additional loss of life and property Thursday night and into Friday morning.

"When we wake up in the morning, chances are there will be more fatalities," DeSantis said.

Authorities announced that there are already reports of downed power lines and flooded roadways. Many major bridges have been closed, and most bridges in Tampa Bay have been closed, the governor said.

Steinhatchee may be experiencing clear skies due to being in the eye of the hurricane, Florida Emergency Management Executive Kevin Guthrie said. He warned those within the eye to remain indoors and continue to shelter in place.

A priority in the coming hours will be to restore power, the governor said. Meals, bottled water, Starlink services and fuel will be made available to those in need and will be standing by.

DeSantis said another press conference will be scheduled for the morning.

-ABC News' Victoria Arancio

Just after Hurricane Helene made landfall over Florida, the number of customers without power crossed the 1 million mark.

Outages extended into neighboring Southern states with over 46,000 customers without power in Georgia and over 12,400 customers without power in North Carolina, according to powerouttages.us.

Virginia and South Carolina are facing power outages as well with over 7,200 and over 5,500 customers without power in each state respectively.

Hurricane Helene has officially made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a major Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds.

The storm touched down near Perry, Florida, just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River.

This marks the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Florida's Big Bend Region since at least 1859.

There are over 970,000 customers without power in Florida, according to poweroutages.us.

Category 4 Hurricane Helene is closing in on landfall, which will likely happen within the hour. Winds remain sustained at 140 mph with gusts to 155 mph in the eye wall of this storm.

Helene is producing catastrophic winds that will be spreading onshore in Florida's Big Bend region over the next few hours.

Major flooding is happening as of 10 p.m. ET in the Tampa area, with over six feet of inundation.

"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation," the National Hurricane Center said in an alert Thursday.

"Persons should not leave their shelters and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions," the statement concluded.