Tropical Storm Helene was rapidly strengthening in the Caribbean Sea and should become a hurricane Wednesday as it moved north along the coast of Mexico toward the United States, prompting residents to evacuate, schools to close and officials to declare states of emergency in Florida and Georgia.
The storm is expected to have “near hurricane strength” when it passes near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula early Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. “to intensify and grow in size” The center is forecasting heavy rainfall across the southeastern United States starting Wednesday, with a “potentially life-threatening storm surge” along the entire west coast of Florida.
According to the hurricane center, Helene is expected to become a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) on Thursday, the day it is expected to reach the Gulf Coast of Florida. The center has issued hurricane warnings for parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and the northwest coast of Florida, where storm surges of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) are expected.
Mexico is still in shock former hurricane john John struck the country’s southern Pacific coast Monday night, killing two people, blowing tin roofs off homes, triggering mudslides and toppling dozens of trees, authorities said Tuesday.
John became a Category 3 hurricane within hours on Monday and made landfall about 80 miles (128 kilometers) east of the resort town of Acapulco, near the town of Punta Maldonado, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (193 kph) before weakening to a tropical storm after moving inland.
Hurricane Helene, which formed in the Caribbean on Tuesday, is expected to move over deep, warm waters, fueling its intensification. People in areas under hurricane warnings and watches should prepare for power outages and have enough food and water to last at least three days, forecasters warned.
Early Wednesday, Helene was located about 47 miles (75 kilometers) east-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and about 120 miles (190 kilometers) southwest of the western tip of Cuba as it moved northwest at 9 mph (15 kph).
Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the Florida Keys, southern Florida Peninsula and the northeast coast of Florida early Wednesday. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the South Carolina coast north of the Savannah River to the South Santee River.
Hurricane watches, which are a level below warnings, were also in effect for parts of western Cuba and Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, the hurricane center said.
“This is going to be a very large system that will impact all of Florida,” said Larry Kelly, a hurricane center specialist.
Several counties on Florida’s west and northwest coasts have issued evacuation orders. Several school districts, including in areas around Tampa and the state capital, Tallahassee, plan to close schools or reduce their hours starting Wednesday.
Some residents have begun filling sandbags in preparation for expected flooding and have started to leave some areas of the coast.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida and deployed Federal Emergency Management Agency teams to Florida and Alabama to support local first responders. Federal authorities have deployed generators, food and water, as well as search and rescue and power restoration teams, the White House said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also declared a state of emergency for most counties in the state, while Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also declared a state of emergency in his state.
The storm is expected to be unusually large and move quickly, meaning storm surges, Wind and rain are expected to extend far from the storm’s center, the hurricane center said. States as far away as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana could see precipitation.
Heavy rain and high waves battered the Cayman Islands on Tuesday. Authorities closed schools, airports and government offices as high winds knocked out power in parts of Grand Cayman, while heavy rain and waves up to 10 feet (3 meters) high caused flooding. Authorities urged people to stay indoors as the storm moved away later Tuesday and said teams would deploy to assess the damage.
Many in Cuba are also worried about the storm, whose tentacles are expected to reach the capital of Havana, which is grappling with a severe water shortage, piles of uncollected trash and chronic power outages.
Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. Since 2000, eight major hurricanes have made landfall in Florida, according to Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year. due to record ocean temperaturesIt predicts between 17 and 25 named storms before the season ends on November 30, with four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.
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Associated Press writers Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Andrea Rodríguez in Havana; Marcia Dunn in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Mark Stevenson and María Verza in Mexico City; and Claire Rush in Portland, Ore., contributed to this report.
