Topline
Hurricane Helene strengthened Wednesday as forecasters now predict the storm will be a Category 4 when it hits Florida tomorrow, with the National Hurricane Center urging “preparations to protect life and property” be “rushed to completion.”
Hurricane Helene strengthened over the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday.
Key Facts
Hurricane Helene—located about 460 miles southwest of Tampa—strengthened to have maximum sustained winds of 85 mph as of the National Hurricane Center’s 5 p.m. EDT advisory.
A hurricane warning has been issued for the Florida Gulf Coast from Anclote River to Mexico Beach, with a storm surge warning also in effect from Mexico Beach to Flamingo, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, while a hurricane warning is also in effect from Cabo Catoche to Tulum, including Cozumel, in Mexico.
Helene’s winds are expected to reach 130 mph—making it a Category 4—in the next 24 hours, before the storm makes landfall late Wednesday in the Big Bend area of Florida, possibly just south of Tallahassee.
Storm surge is expected across most of Florida’s Gulf Coast, with a peak of 15-20 feet or surge predicted between Carrabelle and the Suwannee River, while Tampa Bay will get 5-8 feet of surge, according to forecasters.
Much of Florida’s Gulf Coast is under a tropical storm warning, along with the Florida Keys and the entirety of the state’s Atlantic coast, as well as the coastlines of Georgia and South Carolina.
Alerts extend far inland—tropical storm warnings reach northward to cover cities like Atlanta and Asheville, North Carolina, due to “a far inland penetration of strong winds” that is predicted, while significant rainfall could produce “catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, including landslides” across the southern Appalachians.
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How Much Rain Is Helene Expected To Bring?
Six to 12 inches of rain are expected across parts of the southeastern U.S. affected by the storm, with isolated totals up to 18 inches, which “will likely result in catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding.”
Has Helene Caused Evacuation Orders In Florida?
Yes. Hillsborough County issued a mandatory evacuation of all mobile and prefabricated homes as of 9 a.m. Wednesday. As of Tuesday evening just before 5 p.m. EDT, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders had been issued in 13 counties. Six counties had mandatory evacuation orders: Charlotte County, Franklin County, Gulf County, Manatee County, Pinellas County and Wakulla County. Almost the entire state is under a state of emergency declaration.
Is Helene Impacting Airlines?
The Tampa International Airport will close to the public at 2 a.m. Thursday in anticipation of Hurricane Helene and will reopen when the storm has passed. Wednesday’s flight schedule will proceed as normal. Airlines have issued travel alerts for the storm and are letting potentially impacted passengers change their plans without fees, including United Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and Frontier.
Crucial Quote
“A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast,” the National Hurricane Center noted. “Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by early Thursday.”
Key Background
Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and comes weeks after Francine made landfall as a Category 2 in Louisiana on Sept. 11. Forecasters this year predicted the busiest storm season (from June 1 to Nov. 30) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has ever forecasted—up to 25 named storms and 13 hurricanes—but the season hasn’t been as active as predicted so far.