Tropical Storm Helene in the Caribbean is expected to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane and appears headed for a major direct hit on Florida and the US.
Helene is shaping up to make landfall as the strongest storm in America in more than a year.
The tropical storm formed on Tuesday morning in the northwestern Caribbean Sea and is projected to intensify as it reaches the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters.
Helene could become a Category 3 hurricane in just 48 hours.
A National Hurricane Center probable path map shows Helene making landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday night.
Hurricane watch has been activated in Florida from Tallahassee to Tampa. Mexico has also issued a hurricane warning stretching from Tulum to Cabo Catoche.
Evacuations started on Tuesday in parts of Florida’s coast. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of Charlotte, Franklin, Gulf, Hernando, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.
‘Everyone along the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region needs to be prepared for hurricane impacts,’ said AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva.
The last time a Category 3 hurricane struck the US was Idalia in late August 2023. It went ashore in the Big Bend region and brought record-breaking storm surge through Tampa.
If Helene makes landfall as a hurricane, it would be the fourth to strike the US mainland of this season.
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