Tropical Storm Helene strengthened into a hurricane on Wednesday as it heads toward the United States
Forecasters predict the storm will make landfall as a major hurricane Thursday along the Big Bend or Panhandle region of Florida.
Helene is expected to become a major hurricane, potentially becoming a Category 3 storm. Forecasters warn there could be a wind band more than 400 miles wide.
Follow live updates on Hurricane Helene
Florida, Georgia and North Carolina have declared states of emergency in anticipation of the storm.
Officials are urging residents to take precautions ahead of Helene’s arrival, and evacuations have been ordered in some areas along Florida’s west and northwest coasts.
Potential flooding is a concern in North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina.
The system became a tropical storm Tuesday in the western Caribbean Sea and caused flooding in the Cayman Islands.
