By EFE
Sep 25, 2024, 9:40 PM EDT
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned Wednesday that Helene is likely to become a major hurricane on Thursday as it approaches the northwest coast of Florida and generate “catastrophic and deadly” storm surges.
Forecasters are predicting that the center of Helene, currently a Category 1 hurricane, will make landfall Thursday afternoon somewhere in the region known as Big Bend in Florida’s far northwest corner, an area that has a low population density and vast forests and marshes.
Helene has strengthened in recent hours and now has maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour (85 miles per hour), the NHC reported.
It is forecast to “strengthen” into a major hurricane (3, 4 or 5) on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale when its eye makes landfall somewhere along the Big Bend coast, where flooding could reach up to 20 feet (6 meters) above sea level, along with “destructive waves.”
Helene, the eighth named system this Atlantic hurricane season, is located 690 kilometers (430 miles) southwest of Tampa (west coast of Florida) and 760 kilometers (475 miles) south-southwest of Apalachicola in the northwest of the state.
Hurricane warnings have been issued from Anclote River to Mexico Beach in northwest Florida and from Cabo Catoche to Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday approved Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ request for an emergency declaration, unlocking additional federal resources to assist the state in response and recovery efforts.
“The entire Biden-Harris Administration stands ready to provide additional assistance to Florida and other states in the storm’s path as needed,” the White House said in a statement Wednesday.
Helene is moving north across the eastern Gulf of Mexico at a speed of 12 mph (19 kph) today and is expected to cross the Big Bend coast on Thursday afternoon, the Miami-based NHC said.
After landfall, the system will turn northwestward over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.
Thousands of Florida residents are under evacuation orders today due to the imminent arrival of Helene, and virtually the entire state will feel the effects of this hurricane, the fifth of the current season in the Atlantic.
“Flash, catastrophic and life-threatening” flooding is expected in parts of the southern Appalachians through Friday.
Experts are extremely concerned about the damage that the storm surge could cause in areas such as Indian Pass, Carrabelle, Tampa Bay, Mexico Beach, the Suwannee and Anclote rivers and Longboat Key, among others, where water could reach up to 20 feet above sea level.
If it hits Florida as expected, it will be the fourth hurricane to hit US soil this year, following Beryl, Debby and Francine.
According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially began on June 1, could see “above average” activity, with between 8 and 13 hurricanes, of which 4 to 7 would be major.
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