The National Weather Service in Tallahassee described the storm surge threat for Apalachee Bay as “catastrophic and/or potentially unsurvivable” in an update Wednesday.
Hurricane Helene is forecast to strengthen into a catastrophic Category 4 storm by the time it makes landfall in Florida on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm could bring wind speeds of at least 130 mph, with the possibility of further intensification. Some areas along the coast may experience storm surges as high as 20 feet.
According to the National Weather Service timeline for the Tampa Bay Weather, the most impact of the storm will be on Thursday into the evening with scattered storms lingering Friday and Saturday.
Helene is expected to make landfall near Apalachicola, but its impact will extend across much of the Southeast. The hurricane, which rapidly intensified over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, could be the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. in over a year.
The hurricane center has urged residents in affected areas to complete preparations immediately, as the storm poses a significant threat with dangerous winds, flooding rainfall, and life-threatening storm surge. Thousands of Florida residents have already evacuated, and much of the state is under alert.
Governor of Quintana Roo Mara Lezama/X
Hurricane Helene battered parts of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and Cuba on Wednesday, causing significant flooding and power outages. In Mexico’s Quintana Roo, cars were submerged in floodwaters, and powerful waves hit the coast. In Cuba’s Pinar del Río province, over 50,000 people lost power due to the storm’s strong winds.
Helene is expected to be even more destructive as it approaches the U.S., marking the fourth hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. this year and the fifth to hit Florida since 2022. Experts predict it will grow into one of the largest Gulf of Mexico storms in a century, with a wind field large enough to stretch from Washington, DC, to Indianapolis. This will result in more widespread impacts, including extensive storm surge and wind damage, even far from the storm’s center.
The storm has already brought rain and wind gusts to the Florida Keys, with the worst expected to hit areas like Tampa by Thursday. Coastal areas are bracing for storm surges as high as 20 feet in the Big Bend region, with Tampa potentially facing up to 8 feet of surge, threatening to break water level records. Evacuations are underway in 17 Florida counties.
In Georgia, officials are warning of significant power outages, exacerbated by already saturated ground, which could cause trees to fall. Five states, including Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, have declared states of emergency.
Helene is also disrupting air travel, with nearly 800 flights canceled for Thursday. Airports in Tampa, Fort Myers, Clearwater, Sarasota, and Tallahassee are heavily affected, with Tampa International suspending all operations.