The tropical storm Helen is rapidly strengthening in the Caribbean Sea and is expected to become a hurricane Wednesday as it moves north along the Mexican coast toward the United States, prompting residents to evacuate, schools to close and officials to declare emergencies in Florida and Georgia.
The storm is expected to be near hurricane strength as it passes Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula early Wednesday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, and is expected to intensify and gain strength as it moves northward into the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rainfall is expected across the southeastern United States beginning Wednesday, with “life-threatening storm surge” along the entire west coast of Florida, the center said.
Helen is expected to become a major hurricane — Category 3 or higher — on Thursday, when it is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, according to the hurricane center. The center has issued hurricane watches 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 still reeling from hurricane John that struck the country’s southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing two people, ripping tin roofs off homes, causing mudslides and toppling dozens of trees, authorities said Tuesday.
John strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane within hours Monday and made landfall about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east of the resort town of Acapulco, near the town of Punta Maldonado, with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles (193 kilometers) per hour, before weakening to a tropical storm after moving inland.
Helenwhich formed Tuesday in the Caribbean, is expected to move over warm, deep waters, which will help it intensify. People in areas under hurricane warnings and watches should prepare to lose power and have enough food and water to last at least three days, forecasters warned.
Wednesday, Helen 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 northwestward at a speed of 9 miles (15 kilometers) per hour. Tropical storm warnings were in effect.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the upper 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.
PHOTO GERALD HERBERT, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A man cleans up debris in Panacea, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.
Hurricane watches — which are a step below warnings — were also in effect for parts of western Cuba and Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, the hurricane center said.
“This is 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. Many school districts, including around Tampa and Tallahassee, the state capital, plan to close schools or reduce hours starting Wednesday.
Some residents began filling sandbags in preparation for expected flooding and began leaving coastal areas.
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 set up generators, food and water, as well as search and rescue and power restoration teams, the White House said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also declared a state of emergency for most counties in the state, and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp did the same in his state.
The storm is expected to be unusually large and fast-moving, meaning storm surge, wind and rain will likely extend far from the storm’s center, the hurricane center said. States as far inland 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 three-metre waves caused flooding. Authorities urged people to stay indoors when the storm moves away later Tuesday and said teams would deploy to assess the damage.
Many Cubans are also worried about the storm, whose tentacles are expected to reach the capital, Havana, which is grappling with severe water shortages, piles of uncollected garbage and chronic power outages.
Helen is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on October 1er June. Since 2000, eight major hurricanes have made landfall in Florida, according to Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year, driven by record-high ocean temperatures. It is predicting 17 to 25 named storms before the season ends on Nov. 30, including four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.