Tropical Storm Helene in the Caribbean Sea was “close to hurricane strength” as of Wednesday morning and is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane by the time it reaches the Gulf Coast Thursday, the National Hurricane Center warned.
The storm—located about 50 miles southeast of Cancun—has prompted a hurricane warning for the Florida coastline and extended tropical storm warnings and watches north into Georgia and South Carolina.
A hurricane warning is in place Wednesday morning for the Florida Gulf Coast from Anclote River to Mexico Beach, and the coast of Mexico from Cabo Catoche to Tulum and Cozumel.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Florida Keys, Tampa Bay and the Florida east coast from Flamingo northward to Altamaha Sound, Georgia.
A tropical storm watch covers the Georgia and South Carolina coasts north of Altamaha Sound to the South Santee River.
The National Hurricane Center also issued a storm surge warning for Florida from Flamingo to Indian Pass, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
The storm had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, with higher gusts, and forecasters predict it will rapidly strengthen over the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The system is expected to become a major hurricane by the time it reaches the U.S. on Thursday, with winds of around 120 mph and rainfall between 5 and 10 inches expected, with isolated totals up to 15 inches, which “will likely result in areas of considerable flash and urban flooding.”
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Yes. As of Tuesday evening just before 5 p.m. EDT, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders had been issued in 13 counties. Six counties had mandatory evacuation orders: Charlotte County, Franklin County, Gulf County, Manatee County, Pinellas County and Wakulla County. Almost the entire state is under a state of emergency declaration.
Airlines have issued travel alerts for the storm and are letting potentially impacted passengers change their plans without fees, including United Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and Frontier.
Forecasters warn Helene’s impacts could be felt well inland, due to an unusually large wind field and heavy rain, which could bring “the risk of landslides across the southern Appalachians.”
“There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula and Florida Big Bend,” the National Hurricane Center noted. “The highest inundation levels are expected along the coast of the Florida Big Bend. Residents in those areas should follow advice given by local officials and evacuate if told to do so.”
Helene is the eighth named tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and comes weeks after Francine made landfall as a Category 2 in Louisiana on Sept. 11. The only tropical storm to form in between the two, named Gordon, lost its strength in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday. Forecasters this year predicted the busiest storm season (from June 1 to Nov. 30) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has ever forecasted—up to 25 named storms and 13 hurricanes—but the season hasn’t been as active as predicted so far.
