Hurricane Helene heads to Florida’s Panhandle as Category 2 storm

Hurricane Helene is rapidly advancing across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, prompting warnings of an “unsurvivable” storm surge in the northwestern part of the state. Forecasters have also cautioned about damaging winds, heavy rains, and flash floods that could impact areas hundreds of miles inland throughout the southeastern U.S.

Upgraded to a Category 2 storm on Thursday morning, Helene is expected to reach major hurricane status—Category 3 or higher—by the time it makes landfall on Florida’s northwestern coast later in the evening. As of early Thursday, hurricane and flash flood warnings were in effect well beyond the coastline, extending into south-central Georgia. Governors in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia have declared states of emergency in preparation.

Rain began to fall early Thursday along coastal U.S. Highway 98, which runs through numerous fishing villages and vacation spots in Florida’s Big Bend region. Many gas stations along the route were boarded up to protect against the storm, and the highway was largely deserted, with most vehicles heading northeast toward higher ground.

The storm is anticipated to make landfall in the Big Bend area, where Florida’s panhandle and peninsula converge, according to Jack Beven, senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee has issued a dire forecast for Hurricane Helene, predicting storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters) that could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable” in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. The service emphasized the risks posed by high winds and heavy rainfall, urging residents to heed evacuation orders: “This forecast, if realized, is a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay. Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!”

This area of Florida, known as the Forgotten Coast, remains largely untouched by the extensive condo development and commercialization that characterize many of the state’s beach communities. The sparsely populated region is cherished for its natural beauty, featuring vast salt marshes, tidal pools, barrier islands, dwarf cypress trees in Tate’s Hell State Forest, and Wakulla Springs, one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs.

As of Thursday morning, Helene was located about 320 miles (515 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, moving north-northeast at 12 mph (19 kph) with sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph). Forecasters anticipate that it will strengthen to a Category 3 hurricane or higher, with wind speeds exceeding 110 mph (177 kph).

Hurricane Helene affected parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and downing trees as it skirted the resort city of Cancun.

The storm developed on Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. In Cuba, authorities preemptively cut power in some areas as waves surged up to 16 feet (5 meters) in Cortes Bay. In the Cayman Islands, schools were closed, and residents were busy pumping water out of their flooded homes.