Tropical Storm Helene continues to gain strength, threatening to escalate into a hurricane as it approaches the Florida coastline, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned on Tuesday.
According to the latest forecasts, Helene is expected to reach hurricane strength when it nears the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on Wednesday. The NHC has already issued a warning for the area via social media platform X.
The NHC noted that Helene is likely to grow rapidly in size as it moves over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, potentially causing dangerous storm surges along Florida’s west coast, particularly in the Florida Big Bend region.
Additionally, significant rainfall from Helene could lead to major flooding and landslides in western Cuba as the storm impacts portions of the western Caribbean.
Currently, Tropical Storm Helene is situated at 19.7°N latitude and 84.7°W longitude, with sustained winds of 50 miles per hour (mph) and moving west-northwest (WNW) at a speed of 12 mph.
Florida Prepares for Potential Impact
On Monday, the NHC cautioned that Helene "will become quite large and powerful before making landfall," predicting the storm could be a major hurricane upon reaching Florida.
"Conditions appear quite favorable for strengthening over the eastern Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday and Thursday," stated the NHC in a follow-up report that has put regions in Cuba and Mexico on high alert.
Earlier, the NHC confirmed the formation of Tropical Storm Helene in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, noting that the storm was expected to intensify rapidly.
In response, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-208 on Monday, declaring a state of emergency in 41 counties potentially in the storm’s path. The order instructs agencies to prepare accordingly. Notably, the southeastern part of the state, including Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and Broward counties, is excluded from the emergency declaration.
Helene is projected to move north through the Panhandle region by Thursday night, placing Tallahassee, Florida’s capital, directly in its anticipated path.
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