A strengthening Hurricane Helene is currently moving through the Gulf of Mexico and is forecasted to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday, potentially as a Category 3 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The center reported that Helene will rapidly intensify over the eastern Gulf of Mexico before making landfall, with wind speeds between 120-125 mph. They also cautioned that the storm’s strength might be revised upward as it approaches Florida.
AccuWeather predicts that Helene could strike the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle late Thursday, bringing 8 to 12 inches of rain.
After landfall, Helene is expected to move northward into western Georgia and eastern Alabama, then curve northwest, spreading into Tennessee, Kentucky, and southern parts of Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois.
Evacuations are already in progress across Florida, where a state of emergency has been declared for most counties. North Carolina and Georgia have also declared states of emergency.
