Hurricane Helene, an unusually large and rapidly intensifying storm, took aim at the Big Bend of Florida Wednesday, where it was projected to bring life-threatening conditions when it made landfall Thursday night.
Forecasts from The National Hurricane Center projected that Helene would become a raging Category 4 storm with winds of 130 mph over the next day as it makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico.
Perhaps most dangerous, models show Helene threatening to bring a storm surge of up to 20 feet to parts of Florida’s West Coast and panhandle. The hurricane center warned of a “catastrophic and deadly storm surge” with “destructive waves” along the Florida coast, in addition to “potentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds” and “life-threatening flash and urban flooding.”
The imposing size of Helene adds an additional dimension to its danger, with a wind field hundreds of miles wide.
Governors across the South sounded the alarm Wednesday ahead of the cyclone’s arrival. States of emergency were declared in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina. Evacuations orders were issued for those in low-lying areas in two dozen Florida counties.
Here are the latest developments from Yahoo News on the approaching storm. For live blog updates in Spanish, click here, and for more details on the forecast, visit our hurricane tracker.
Live19 updates
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What’s the forecast for Thursday?
Hurricane Helene was forecast to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region Thursday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). “Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by early Thursday before tropical storm conditions arrive,” forecasters warned.
The NHC predicts that “damaging and life-threatening hurricane-force winds” will be felt inland in northern Florida and southern Georgia. Strong wind gusts are forecast to be felt in parts of northern Georgia and the Carolinas.
“Helene will bring heavy rain to portions of the western Caribbean with potentially significant flooding across western Cuba and the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula into early Thursday,” meteorologists said.
There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge from #Helene along the west coast of the Florida Peninsula & Florida Big Bend, where a Storm Surge Warning is in effect.
Residents in the warning area should follow advice & evacuation orders from local officials. pic.twitter.com/6zAO9YEKxx
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 25, 2024
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Helene’s winds pose risks for ‘Tree City USA’ Tallahassee
A Canopy Road sign. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) While storm surge will be the biggest threat facing the communities along Florida’s Big Bend region as Hurricane Helene makes its way onshore as a forecast Category 3 system, the state’s capital, Tallahassee, will be vulnerable to high winds.
“Helene could also become Tallahassee’s worst wind event in recorded history as 100 mph winds meet ‘Tree City USA,'” the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
With ample trees across the city, Tallahassee is one of 3,400 so-called Tree Cities nationwide. That distinction is handed out by the Arbor Day Foundation, the National Association of State Foresters and the United States Forest Service.
With winds forecast to be above 111 mph upon landfall, many trees are expected to fall as the storm makes its way toward Tallahassee.
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A satellite image of Helene as it makes its way toward Florida
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Where is the storm and what is its path?
Helene is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle as a major hurricane on Thursday. (National Hurricane Center) According to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory, Tropical Storm Helene — with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph — is located about 60 miles east-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and 100 miles west-southwest of Cuba, and is moving northwest at 9 mph.
The storm is expected to rapidly intensify and come ashore along the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds exceeding 111 miles per hour.
“Damaging hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the coast of the Florida Big Bend, where a Hurricane Warning is now in effect,” the hurricane center said. “Preparations to protect life and property should be complete by early Thursday.”
