Hurricane Helene, which reached Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale early Thursday morning, is advancing as a dangerous cyclone towards the Florida coast. After battering Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and western Cuba on Wednesday, Helene is now on a trajectory to Florida, with a high likelihood of making landfall as a devastating storm.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has warned that catastrophic storm surges could hit the Big Bend coast, with floodwaters potentially reaching up to 20 feet (6.1 meters) above ground level. They also noted that hurricane-force winds are expected when Helene makes landfall in the Big Bend region, anticipated for Thursday night.
"Life-threatening hurricane winds, especially in gusts, will move inland into parts of northern Florida and southern Georgia," NOAA stated in their advisory.
As of 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Helene was located about 255 miles southwest of Tampa, packing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph and rapidly intensifying.
Impact on Communities and Emergency Measures
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts that Helene could strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall in the United States. Consequently, Florida has already initiated evacuations for those living in vulnerable areas, closed schools, and declared emergencies in several counties.
Tropical storm conditions have been felt in Florida since Wednesday night, according to Univision. By Thursday morning, flooding had been reported in areas such as Naples, Treasure Island, Tampa, and St. Petersburg.