A storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, soon to be named Hurricane Helene, is forecasted to rapidly intensify before making landfall in Florida later this week. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has dubbed the yet-to-form storm Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, warning of its imminent threat.
Currently, the system is a disorganized mass of showers and thunderstorms located in the far western Caribbean Sea. As it organizes into a tropical system, it is expected to bring potentially flooding rainfall over parts of Central America, Mexico, Cuba, and Jamaica.
The storm is expected to track north over the extremely warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which could supercharge it on its collision course with the US Gulf Coast. The NHC is forecasting Helene to rapidly intensify over a record-warm Gulf of Mexico, a feat becoming more likely as the world warms due to fossil fuel pollution.
Hurricane and tropical storm watches are in effect for parts of Mexico and Cuba. Similar alerts will be issued for the US in the coming days, with a potential landfall in Florida expected perhaps as soon as Thursday night. The NHC is showing a landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, but anyone from Florida’s Gulf Coast to eastern Louisiana should be on alert this week.
The storm could become the fourth hurricane to make landfall in the US this year. The three other storms rapidly intensified before striking the US as hurricanes: Beryl, Debby, and Francine. The last time four or more hurricanes hit the US in one season was the devastating 2020 season.
Florida residents are urged to be alert and prepared as Hurricane Helene is likely to bring the threats of high winds and flooding to Florida this week.
Recent Comments