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Helene is now a hurricane as she approaches Florida's Gulf Coast

Helene is now a hurricane as she approaches Florida's Gulf Coast
Posted on | Posted on angela

Helene strengthened into a hurricane on Wednesday and forecasters warned it could become a major Category 3 storm before making landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast late Thursday.

The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday that Hurricane Helene is expected to bring “life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and torrential rains across much of Florida and the southeastern United States.”

With the exact area where Helene will make landfall still unknown, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of the state's 67 counties late Monday. What is clear, however, is that the storm is expected to be the strongest hurricane to hit the United States this season, and it could also go down in history as one of the fastest-developing storms.

“The situation is going to get worse,” DeSantis said at a press conference on Wednesday. “Make sure you make the best decisions for you and your family.”

The effects of Helene will not be limited to the Sunshine State, the National Hurricane Center warned.

“Significant flash flooding and urban flooding are expected in parts of Florida, the Southeast, southern Appalachians, and the Tennessee Valley Wednesday through Friday,” the National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin Tuesday.

Here are the latest developments from Yahoo News on the approaching storm. For live blog updates in Spanish, click here.

Live3 updates

  • Helene is now a hurricane

    According to the latest warning from the National Hurricane Center, Helene has strengthened into a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

    It is located approximately 85 miles north-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico and 500 miles south-southwest of Tampa and is moving in a north-northwest direction at 10 mph.

  • These are the latest observations and warnings

    Starting Wednesday, 8 a.m. ET, a Hurricane warning was valid for:

    • From the Anclote River to Mexico Beach, Florida.

    • Cabo Catoche to Tulum, Mexico

    A Hurricane warning was valid for:

    • Pinar del Río Province, Cuba

    • From Englewood to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay, Florida

    A Tropical Storm Warning was valid for:

    • Dry Tortugas

    • All Florida Keys

    • The west coast of Florida from Flamingo to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay

    • West of Mexico Beach to the Walton-Bay County border

    • The east coast of Florida from Flamingo to Altamaha Sound, Georgia.

    • Lake Okeechobee

    • Río Lagartos to Tulum, Mexico

    • Cuban provinces of Artemisa, Pinar del Río and the Island of Youth

    A Tropical Storm Warning was valid for:

    A Storm surge warning was valid for:

  • Where is the storm and where is it heading?

    A map showing the path of the storm as it approaches the Florida Panhandle.A map showing the path of the storm as it approaches the Florida Panhandle.

    Helene is expected to reach the Florida Panhandle as a major hurricane on Thursday. (National Hurricane Center)

    According to the latest warning from the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Helene – with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph – is located about 60 miles east-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico and 100 miles west-southwest of Cuba and is moving northwest at 9 mph.

    The storm is expected to rapidly intensify and reach the coast of Florida as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of over 178 kilometers per hour.

    “Destroying hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where a hurricane warning is currently in effect,” the hurricane center said. “Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by Thursday morning.”

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