Florida Could Be Struck by 'Catastrophic' Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene has the potential to strike Florida with significant force, being categorized as a 'catastrophic' storm.
TroibNews 
Hurricane Helene is anticipated to rapidly intensify and may strike Florida on Thursday as a Category 4 storm, bringing with it "catastrophic" winds reaching up to 251 kilometers per hour, according to forecasters.
Entering the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, Helene is expected to gain strength from the warm waters before making landfall in the Florida panhandle on Thursday evening.
"For those in the path, that unfortunately means catastrophic wind impacts," stated National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome regarding the storm's expected upgrade to a category 4, with sustained winds between 209 and 251 kph.
The anticipated storm surge, a wall of water driven ashore by hurricane-force winds, has been raised to 4.6 to 6.1 meters in Florida's Big Bend region where the storm is likely to make its approach, Rhome added.
Over 40 million individuals across Florida, Georgia, and Alabama are under hurricane and tropical storm warnings, as reported by the hurricane center.
In response to the approaching storm, numerous evacuations have been ordered along Florida’s Gulf Coast, impacting areas such as Sarasota and Charlotte counties. Additionally, many counties have announced school closures, including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
While packing to evacuate her one-story coastal home in St. Petersburg, retired magazine editor Melissa Wolcott-Martino reflected on her situation. With weather reports playing in the background on Wednesday, she was preparing to leave for higher ground, having just completed repairs from last year's Hurricane Idalia that had severely affected the low-lying area.
"We had Idalia last year," the 81-year-old said in a telephone interview. "We just finished the renovations, last touches today, and now we're packing up for a new storm. This is not so great."
In Pinellas County, evacuations of long-term healthcare facilities, such as nursing homes, assisted living centers, and coastal hospitals, were mandated. The county is situated on a peninsula bordered by Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
"Now, you still have time to prepare, review your hurricane plan, and make sure that you are executing your hurricane preparedness plan," Governor Ron DeSantis advised during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Helene impacted Cuba overnight with heavy rainfall, leading to as much as 20.3 centimeters of rain within 24 hours in parts of Pinar del Rio, according to the provincial meteorological service.
The storm is forecasted to bring up to 38.1 cm of rain to some isolated areas in Florida, which could lead to significant flash and urban flooding, the hurricane center warned.
Rhome highlighted that approximately half of the fatalities associated with hurricanes typically result from flash flooding caused by intense rainfall, often among individuals who drive into flooded roads and are swept away. He urged those in the impacted regions to exercise extreme caution.
He further mentioned that the area impacted by hurricane-force winds extends around 180 miles north from the Florida panhandle to southern Georgia.
"You need to prepare for prolonged outages, those trees are going to come down in strong winds, blocking roads," Rhome advised.
Residents in the storm's potential path are being urged to brace for power outages lasting up to a week, according to Florida emergency officials during a briefing.
In southwestern Georgia, farmers are racing against time to protect their cotton and pecan crops, as noted by Pam Knox, an agriculture climatologist with the University of Georgia in Athens.
Farmers typically have weeks to harvest their crops, rather than just days, Knox said on Wednesday.
"This is going to be a billion-dollar disaster," Knox remarked.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
Entering the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, Helene is expected to gain strength from the warm waters before making landfall in the Florida panhandle on Thursday evening.
"For those in the path, that unfortunately means catastrophic wind impacts," stated National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome regarding the storm's expected upgrade to a category 4, with sustained winds between 209 and 251 kph.
The anticipated storm surge, a wall of water driven ashore by hurricane-force winds, has been raised to 4.6 to 6.1 meters in Florida's Big Bend region where the storm is likely to make its approach, Rhome added.
Over 40 million individuals across Florida, Georgia, and Alabama are under hurricane and tropical storm warnings, as reported by the hurricane center.
In response to the approaching storm, numerous evacuations have been ordered along Florida’s Gulf Coast, impacting areas such as Sarasota and Charlotte counties. Additionally, many counties have announced school closures, including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
While packing to evacuate her one-story coastal home in St. Petersburg, retired magazine editor Melissa Wolcott-Martino reflected on her situation. With weather reports playing in the background on Wednesday, she was preparing to leave for higher ground, having just completed repairs from last year's Hurricane Idalia that had severely affected the low-lying area.
"We had Idalia last year," the 81-year-old said in a telephone interview. "We just finished the renovations, last touches today, and now we're packing up for a new storm. This is not so great."
In Pinellas County, evacuations of long-term healthcare facilities, such as nursing homes, assisted living centers, and coastal hospitals, were mandated. The county is situated on a peninsula bordered by Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
"Now, you still have time to prepare, review your hurricane plan, and make sure that you are executing your hurricane preparedness plan," Governor Ron DeSantis advised during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Helene impacted Cuba overnight with heavy rainfall, leading to as much as 20.3 centimeters of rain within 24 hours in parts of Pinar del Rio, according to the provincial meteorological service.
The storm is forecasted to bring up to 38.1 cm of rain to some isolated areas in Florida, which could lead to significant flash and urban flooding, the hurricane center warned.
Rhome highlighted that approximately half of the fatalities associated with hurricanes typically result from flash flooding caused by intense rainfall, often among individuals who drive into flooded roads and are swept away. He urged those in the impacted regions to exercise extreme caution.
He further mentioned that the area impacted by hurricane-force winds extends around 180 miles north from the Florida panhandle to southern Georgia.
"You need to prepare for prolonged outages, those trees are going to come down in strong winds, blocking roads," Rhome advised.
Residents in the storm's potential path are being urged to brace for power outages lasting up to a week, according to Florida emergency officials during a briefing.
In southwestern Georgia, farmers are racing against time to protect their cotton and pecan crops, as noted by Pam Knox, an agriculture climatologist with the University of Georgia in Athens.
Farmers typically have weeks to harvest their crops, rather than just days, Knox said on Wednesday.
"This is going to be a billion-dollar disaster," Knox remarked.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
