On Thursday afternoon, Helene intensified into a Category 3 hurricane as it traversed the Gulf of Mexico, heading toward Florida's northern coast.
At 2:25 p.m. local time, Air Force Hurricane Hunters recorded maximum sustained winds of 121 mph (195 km/h). The storm has also increased its forward speed to 20 mph (32 km/h).
A recent advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) highlighted a significant rise in wind speeds along Florida's west coast.
Having reached Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale earlier on Thursday, Helene is expected to continue strengthening over the warm Gulf waters before making landfall tonight in Florida's Big Bend region. On Wednesday, Helene battered Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and western Cuba, now advancing toward Florida as a potentially catastrophic storm.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Big Bend coast may experience severe storm surges, with floodwaters potentially rising up to 20 feet (6.1 meters) above ground level.