Florida braces for impact of Helene; storm expected to be major hurricane

Tropical Storm Helene is expected to crook into a large hurricane by Thursday erstwhile it approaches the northeastern Gulf Coast, arsenic risks of life-threatening conditions proceed to summation on the Florida Panhandle and the state’s Gulf coast, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Helene, the eighth named tempest of the Atlantic hurricane season, is expected to “rapidly intensify” to a hurricane connected Wednesday arsenic it moves implicit the lukewarm h2o of the Gulf of Mexico, the NHS said successful its late-morning advisory. The tempest could past go a large Category 3 hurricane by Thursday.

As of 2 p.m. ET, the halfway of the tempest was 175 miles southbound of the occidental extremity of Cuba, with sustained winds of 45 mph and higher gusts. the strategy was moving northwest astatine 12 mph.

Hurricane watches, which means that “hurricane conditions are possible,” person been issued for a stretch of the westbound seashore of Florida,  including Tampa Bay, arsenic good arsenic parts of Mexico an Cuba.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis connected Tuesday said 61 counties were nether a authorities of emergency up of the perchance devastating storm, with forecast models indicating the strategy volition bring a “significant menace of life-threatening tempest surge and damaging upwind gusts for the Florida Gulf Coast.”

Latest GRAF exemplary connected aboriginal Hurricane #Helene. As shear lowers up you tin spot it wrapper storms yet astir its halfway adjacent the Yucatan Channel (this tally has it concisely implicit the existent Peninsula).When successful the Gulf of Mexico, intensification occurs…potentially rapidly. pic.twitter.com/s1cxjhZXU3

— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWX) September 24, 2024

The Florida State Guard has been activated and astatine slightest 3,000 members of the Florida National Guard are acceptable to assistance with tempest efforts, DeSantis said astatine a property conference Tuesday morning.

Residents successful immoderate areas of Florida’s Big Bend portion person been told they mightiness request to evacuate astatine immoderate minute.

“We are waiting connected [the Florida Division of Emergency Management] to counsel structure locations anterior to america issuing the evac order,” exigency officials with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office said successful a connection shared connected societal media aboriginal Tuesday afternoon.”Please usage this clip to get acceptable to leave.”

Florida is not the lone authorities that could acquisition damaging winds and threats of flash flooding, the NWS’s Weather Prediction Center said Monday. A mean hazard of “excessive rainfall” was besides issued for parts of Alabama and Georgia connected Thursday.

President Joe Biden has been briefed connected the storm, the White House said. At his direction, FEMA “has deployed teams to Florida and Alabama to embed with section exigency effect unit to enactment their efforts, arsenic needed,” White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said successful a statement.

With News Wire Services