Tropical Storm Helen It formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday and will strengthen into a major hurricane as it moves north toward the United States, forecasters said. Heavy rain and large waves have already battered the Cayman Islands, and some Florida residents have begun dumping or filling sandbags ahead of the expected flooding.
Helen was expected to strengthen into a hurricane on Wednesday and become a major hurricane before making landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast late Thursday. The storm was located 145 miles (235 kilometers) south of the western tip of Cuba, with sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph) and moving northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).
As the storm approached the Gulf Coast, a hurricane watch was in effect for the northwest Florida coast and part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and a hurricane watch was in effect for parts of western Cuba and Florida’s Tampa Bay, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Cuba, including the Florida Keys, and the southwest coast of Florida are under a tropical storm warning. Florida’s west coast is under a storm surge warning.
In the United States, federal officials are deploying generators, food and water, search and rescue and power restoration teams as President Joe Biden declares a state of emergency in Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for most of the state’s counties, 10 of which urged or ordered evacuations.
The storm is expected to move into deeper, warmer waters, fueling its intensity. Forecasters warned that people in regions under watch and alert should be prepared to lose power and have enough food and water for at least three days.
The tropical storm prompted NASA and SpaceX to move up Thursday’s planned astronaut launch to at least Saturday. And Florida A&M University College football game against Alabama A&M postponed.
The storm is expected to be unusually large and fast moving storm surge, Wind and rain will be far away from the storm’s center, the hurricane center said. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency. Inland states like Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana could see rain.
“This is going to be a very large system with implications for all of Florida,” said Larry Kelly, an expert at the center. “Stay up to date with the latest forecast and pay attention to your local authorities.”
Hal Summers, a restaurant worker in Mexico Beach, Florida, needs no reminder after his survival. Hurricane Michael In 2018, DeSantis said Helen was reminiscent of a Category 5 hurricane that caught residents off guard before quickly intensifying and plowing a destructive path across the western Florida Panhandle.
When it hit, Summers waded in with her cat in her arms as water began to rise rapidly in her parents’ home. Their house and house were destroyed.
“It was a traumatic experience, and it’s not where I want to be for myself,” she said Tuesday as she left Marianna with a friend in the inland town.
If Tropical Storm Helen follows the same path as two recent hurricanes, Florida will recover quickly, state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Petronis said Tuesday. Hurricane Italia, which hit Florida in August 2023, and Hurricane Debbie, which came ashore last August, brought down vulnerable structures and trees that could cause devastation, he said.
Helen, the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season that began June 1, will have sustained winds of at least 111 mph (178 km/h) before approaching the northeastern Gulf Coast – possibly strengthening as a major Category 3 hurricane. Since 2000, eight major hurricanes have made landfall in Florida, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach.
The sun was shining in Tarpon Springs, Florida on Tuesday, but people were already filling sandbags with the possibility of flooding.
Authorities in the Cayman Islands closed schools, airports and government offices as strong winds knocked out power in parts of Grand Cayman, while heavy rain and 10-foot (3-meter) high waves unleashed flooding. Officials urged people to stay indoors as the storm moved in late Tuesday and said crews would fan out soon to assess the damage.
Many in Cuba are worried about the storm, whose tentacles are expected to reach the capital, Havana, which is facing severe water shortages, piles of uncollected garbage and Chronic power outages.
Helen was expected to slip between Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula early Wednesday and drench the region with up to a foot (30 centimeters) of rain before moving north across the Gulf of Mexico. According to the National Hurricane Center, heavy rain is forecast for the southeastern United States beginning Wednesday, threatening flash and river flooding.
A large storm surge of up to 15 feet (5 meters) is expected along a wide stretch of the northwest Florida coast.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year Because of the warmest ocean temperatures on record. It forecast 17 to 25 named storms, four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher before the season ends on November 30.
In the Pacific, Former Storm John Two people were killed when a storm surged into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, blowing tin roofs off homes, triggering mudslides and uprooting scores of trees, officials said Tuesday.
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Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico and the Hollingsworth Mission, Kansas. Associated Press reporters Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Marcia Dunn in Cape Canaveral and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.
