A tropical disturbance brewing in the Caribbean Sea could become the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. this year, according to forecasters.
The storm — identified Monday as Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine by the National Hurricane Center — would be named Hurricane Helene and could hit the Florida Panhandle by Thursday morning.
“The system is expected to intensify while it moves northward over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and it could be a major hurricane when it reaches the northeastern Gulf Coast on Thursday,” the NHC warned Monday morning.
If the storm makes landfall as a Category 3, or potentially Category 4, hurricane, it would be the strongest to strike the U.S. this year. Hurricane Francine made landfall as a Category 2 storm in Louisiana on Sept. 11.
On Monday, the system remained a disorganized mess of thunderstorms about 130 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman, according to the NHC. It had maximum winds of about 30 mph and was expected to bring rain and mudslides to western Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
But the system was predicted to move northward and gain strength and organization in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Once the system becomes better organized and develops an inner core, the environmental and oceanic conditions appear favorable for significant strengthening,” NHC forecasters warned.
The storm’s path remained difficult to predict Monday because of its disorganized nature. However, experts said it would most likely make landfall around the Florida Panhandle or Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Meteorologists warned the storm would likely gain strength quickly in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Those waters also helped Francine pick up power before it struck Louisiana.
“Storm surge, wind and rainfall impacts will likely extend well away from the center, particularly to the east of the system,” NHC forecasters warned.
If Helene makes landfall as anticipated, the storm is expected to push inland following landfall, dropping heavy rain on a massive swath of the southeastern U.S.
Though the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a particularly intense Atlantic hurricane season, Helene will only be the eighth named storm since June 1 if it forms as expected. Zero major hurricanes — defined as Category 3 or higher — have struck the U.S. in 2024.