The National Hurricane Center is forecasting that a major hurricane will make landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday. The storm, which is still taking shape and will be named Helene, could become the strongest hurricane to hit the United States this season.
Forecast to rapidly intensify and come ashore as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds exceeding 111 miles per hour, Helene poses a significant threat to Florida residents.
“While it is too soon to pinpoint the exact location and magnitude of impacts, the potential for life-threatening storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds along the coast of the Florida Panhandle and the Florida west coast is increasing,” the National Hurricane Center said Monday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a state of emergency on Tuesday to 61 counties ahead of the storm. Helene is expected to make landfall near the Big Bend region of the Florida panhandle but could shift course over the coming days.
In addition to high winds, the storm will threaten millions of residents along the Gulf Coast with up to 12 inches of rainfall, as well as the possibility of tornadoes.
“In the past, major hurricanes, containing maximum sustained wind speeds of at least 111 mph, have developed in similar setups,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Duffus.
9/24 5AM EDT: The potential for life-threatening storm surge from #PTC9 is increasing along the coast of the Florida Panhandle and the Florida west gulf coast. Residents should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place, and also follow advice given by local officials. pic.twitter.com/PMprqEsNEg
— NHC Storm Surge (@NHC_Surge) September 24, 2024
What is the storm’s path?
According to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory, the storm is about 205 miles southeast of the western tip of Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, while moving northwest at 9 mph.
The system is expected to become a tropical depression or storm on Tuesday.
“The Tampa Bay region is extremely vulnerable to storm surge. If this storm tracks any farther west, we could end up dealing with a serious storm surge and flooding problems in Tampa,” AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva predicted.
But meteorologists warned residents from Louisiana to Key West, Fla., to prepare for the storm.
The National Hurricane Center issued hurricane watches and tropical storm warnings on Monday for parts of Mexico and Cuba as the storm intensifies over the record-warm Gulf of Mexico.
The storm is expected to weaken by Friday as it moves inland across the Southeast. However, heavy rainfall and wind gusts will linger along its path.
