Tropical Storm Helene, which formed over the Caribbean Sea, is predicted to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane and is expected to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday (September 26). The storm is forecasted to bring destructive winds, a potentially life-threatening storm surge, and dangerous amounts of rain. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in 61 counties and urged residents to prepare for the storm.
The National Hurricane Center named the storm Helene on Tuesday morning and predicted it would gain strength over the exceptionally warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, becoming a hurricane by Wednesday morning.
Governor DeSantis stated during a news conference that Helene is expected to hit the state as a Category 3 storm or higher. He also compared Helene to Hurricane Michael, which rapidly intensified to a Category 5 storm before it hit the Panhandle in October 2018.
Hurricane watches, and warnings of storm surges up to 15 feet high were issued Tuesday for almost all of Florida’s western coastline. The storm is forecasted to produce four to eight inches of rain over western Cuba and the Cayman Islands, with isolated totals around 12 inches. In the southeastern U.S., it’s forecasted to produce three to six inches of rain with isolated totals of around 10 inches, likely resulting in local flash and urban flooding.
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