Tropical Storm Helene rapidly strengthened in the Caribbean and expected hurricane On Wednesday, the fire moved north along the Mexican coast toward the United States, prompting the population to evacuate, schools to close and states of emergency to be declared in Florida and Georgia.

The storm is expected to reach “near hurricane strength” when it passes near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Wednesday, the US National Hurricane Center said. It is expected to “increase in intensity and size” as it moves north across the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rains and a “life-threatening storm surge” along the entire west coast of Florida were forecast for the southeastern US starting Wednesday, the center said.

According to the hurricane center, Helene is expected to become a major Category 3 or higher hurricane on Thursday. It will make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast that day. The center has issued hurricane warnings for parts of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the northwestern coast of Florida, where major storm surges of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) are expected.

Mexico is still suffering from former Hurricane John The other coast is also affected. John hit the country's southern Pacific coast late Monday night, killing two people, ripping metal roofs off houses, triggering landslides and downing dozens of trees, officials said Tuesday.

John developed into a Category 3 hurricane within hours on Monday and made landfall about 128 kilometers east of the resort town of Acapulco, near the city of Punta Maldonado, with maximum sustained winds of 193 km/h before weakening inland to a tropical storm.

Helene, which formed in the Caribbean on Tuesday, is expected to increase in intensity as it moves over deep, warm waters. People in areas under hurricane warnings and watches should be prepared for power outages and bring enough food and water for at least three days, forecasters warned.

Hurricane warnings – a weakening of the warnings – were also in effect for parts of western Cuba and Florida, including the Tampa Bay region, the National Hurricane Center said.

“It's going to be a very large system with impacts across all of Florida,” said Larry Kelly, a specialist at the hurricane center.

Several counties on Florida's west and northwest coasts have issued evacuation orders. Several school districts, including in the areas around Tampa and the state capital Tallahassee, plan to close schools or reduce opening hours starting Wednesday.

Some residents began filling sandbags and leaving coastal areas in anticipation of the expected flooding.

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida and sent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) teams to Florida and Alabama to assist local emergency responders. Federal agencies provided generators, food and water, as well as search and rescue and power restoration teams, the White House said.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also declared a state of emergency for most counties in the state, and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also declared a state of emergency for his state.

The storm is expected to be unusually large and fast, which means storm surges, Wind and rain will likely spread far from the center of the storm, the hurricane center said. Inland states such as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana could also expect rain.

Heavy rain and high waves hit the Cayman Islands on Tuesday. Authorities closed schools, airports and government buildings as strong winds knocked out power in some areas of Grand Cayman, while heavy rain and waves up to three metres high triggered flooding. Authorities urged people to stay indoors as the storm moved out later on Tuesday and said emergency crews would be dispatched to assess the damage.

Many in Cuba are also concerned about the storm, whose tentacles are expected to reach the capital Havana, which is facing severe water shortages, mountains of uncollected garbage and chronic power outages.

Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1. Since 2000, eight major hurricanes have made landfall in Florida, according to Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic this year due to record high sea temperaturesBy the end of the season on November 30, 17 to 25 named storms are forecast, including four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

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Associated Press journalists Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Andrea Rodríguez in Havana; Marcia Dunn in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Mark Stevenson and María Verza in Mexico City and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.