Sept. 25 (UPI) — As Hurricane Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, forecasters warned that the storm should strengthen to a Category 4 behemoth before making landfall late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region.
Such a powerful storm likely will bring widespread destruction with a high storm surge, powerful winds and flood-producing downpours of massive amounts of rain across Florida, Georgia and northward.
Aside from the Gulf Coast area where the storm is forecast to go ashore, National Hurricane Center forecasters said the storm will deliver life-threatening storm surge, “catastrophic winds” and flooding rains across a large part of Florida and the southeastern United States.
The forecasters are warning “preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”
In the NHC’s 10 p.m. CDT advisory, forecasters said Helene was about 425 miles southwest of Tampa, Fla., and 465 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Fla. It was packing 85 mph sustained winds. The storm was moving north at 9 mph.
“Helene will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico tonight and Thursday and cross the Florida Big Bend coast Thursday evening,” the NHC forecasters said. “After landfall, Helene is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.”
Forecasters say the storm will bring heavy rainfall amounts to the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday with strong, damaging winds — especially in gusts — that will penetrate well inland over the southeastern United States, including over higher terrain in the southern Appalachian mountains.
“Helene is forecast to be a large major hurricane when it reaches the Big bend coast of Florida,” the NHC said.
Hurricane-force winds currently extend outward as far as to 35 miles from the center of the storm, while tropical storm-force winds can be felt as far as 345 miles away, forecasters said.
Helene should weaken after landfall on the Gulf Coast, forecasters said, adding that the storm’s fast forward speed is what will prove to be the most damaging to property and life.
A tropical storm warning was extended northward along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina to north of South Santee River, and westward along the Florida Gulf coast to the Okaloosa/Walton county line.
Meanwhile, a storm surge warning is in effect east of Mexico Beach southward to Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties ahead of the storm making landfall.
