AA hurricane warning has been issued for Florida's Gulf Coast around Tampa Bay.

The storm, currently known as Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, is currently moving at 8 mph but is expected to increase in speed on Wednesday and Thursday, It will rapidly strengthen as it moves across the unusually warm Gulf of Mexico before making landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast as Hurricane Helene later this week.

The National Hurricane Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), typically issues a warning 48 hours before the first expected occurrence of tropical storm force winds.

“Strengthening is expected over the next few days. The system is expected to become a hurricane on Wednesday and continue to strengthen on Thursday as it moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico,” the hurricane center's warning said at 5 a.m.

The Department of Transportation requires all airlines to offer their customers a refund if their flights are canceled or significantly delayed for reasons within the airline's responsibility. However, this rule does not apply to weather-related delays and cancellations.

Hurricane Helene: Airline travel advice

Even before the storm makes landfall, major U.S. airlines are already issuing travel waivers that allow passengers flying to or from affected airports to rebook without paying the fare difference. For consumers looking to change their travel plans or get travel reimbursement, much depends on the airline, the itinerary and, in some cases, whether travel insurance is purchased.

United Airlines has issued a travel advisory affecting eight airports in Florida. Passengers who purchased a ticket before Monday, September 23, for travel Tuesday through Friday, September 24-27, to, from, or through any of the listed airports may rebook for travel through Friday, October 4, without a change fee.

Delta Air Lines has issued a travel advisory for 10 airports in Florida, as well as select airports in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Mexico and Cuba. Travelers flying through the specified airports from Wednesday through Friday, September 25-27, may rebook tickets for travel through Monday, September 30.

JetBlue Airways has issued a travel warning for four airports in Florida and one in Georgia. The airline is waiving rebooking and cancellation fees as well as fare differences for customers traveling Thursday and Friday, September 26-27. You can rebook for flights departing no later than Wednesday, October 2.

Southwest AirlinesThe travel warning currently applies to two airports – Cancun and Havana – for flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 24-25. Passengers travelling through affected airports have two weeks to rebook their flights free of charge.

Border airlines issues a travel advisory for passengers flying to or from Cancun on Wednesday and Thursday, September 25-26.

As of 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, American Airlines, Allegiant Air, Breeze Airways and Spirit Airlines have not issued travel advisories for this storm.

Hurricane Helene: How to avoid flight cancellations this week

Flying this week? There's a lot passengers can do to minimize the risk of being inconvenienced by a delayed or canceled flight.

Most flight disruptions are weather-related. You can check NOAA's National Forecast Map up to three days before your flight to learn about potential problems. Hover over Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 to see what weather to expect today, tomorrow, and the next day. This way, you can see at a glance where rain, thunderstorms, and other types of severe weather are likely on the day you travel.

ForbesHurricane expected in Florida this week – Hurricane warning for Tampa Bay: What you should knowFrom Mary Whitfill Roeloffs

Once you have this information, you can change dates or routes to create a better scenario. Perhaps you can travel a day earlier or later, or change a connecting flight to avoid problem areas.

Not traveling through Florida? It's equally important to understand that weather events in one part of the country can cause disruptions across the country, as airlines reuse their planes for multiple flights each day. Planes delayed on earlier routes often don't reach their departure airport on time late in the day. A plane stuck in Orlando at 2:00 p.m., for example, won't reach Chicago for its 5:15 p.m. departure. There's a domino effect where one delay leads to another.

As a result, afternoon and evening flights across the country are more likely to be delayed than early morning flights. If possible, book the earliest flight of the day to minimize the risk of delays.

On the day of your flight, look for flight alerts in your airline's app. In the flight tracking app FlightAware, enter your flight information and click on your specific flight. Then click the “Where is my plane now?” link just below the flight number. You can see if the plane is ahead of schedule, on time, or behind schedule, and you can act accordingly – often even before the airline announces a delay or cancellation.