Helene Forecast To Hit Florida as Category 4

Hurricane Helene reached sustained winds of 85 mph and is expected to strengthen, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday afternoon. The storm’s center moved past Cancun and heading toward the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. Helene is forecast to slam into the Florida Panhandle on Thursday evening.

The western coast of Florida, including Tampa Bay, are under a hurricane and storm surge warning. The storm’s winds are forecast to reach at least 120 mph, making it a Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.

The Weather Prediction Center forecasts a high risk of excessive rainfall that could cause flash flooding in the region between Atlanta and Asheville, N.C., on Thursday. ”Landslides are possible in areas of steep terrain in the southern Appalachians“, Robbie Berg, a meteorologist at the NHC, wrote in the hurricane center’s last advisory.

“A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level, along with destructive waves,” said NHC Warning Coordination Meteorologist Robbie Berg. “There is also a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the remainder of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula. Residents in those areas should follow advice given by local officials and evacuate if told to do so.”