TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The time to prepare for the onslaught of Hurricane Helene is essentially over as the monster storm continues to gain strength and sets its sights on Florida’s Big Bend region, where it will unleash a potentially “unsurvivable” 20-foot storm surge, catastrophic hurricane-force winds and flooding rain.
Nearly the entire state of Florida is under some sort of tropical weather alert, with Tropical Storm Warnings extending hundreds of miles inland into Georgia and the Carolinas, including Atlanta.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says that because of Hurricane Helene’s massive size, there is a significant risk of a life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula, as well as Florida’s Big Bend region.
“A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level, along with destructive waves,” the NHC warned.
The highest inundation, with as much as 20 feet of storm surge flooding, is expected from Carrabelle to the Suwannee River in Florida, with other locations like Apalachicola and Chassahowitzka forecast to see 10-15 feet of storm surge.
Tampa Bay is expected to see a storm surge of 5-8 feet.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee issued a dire warning about the potentially deadly storm surge on Thursday morning.
“There is increasing confidence of catastrophic and potentially unsurvivable storm surge for Apalachee Bay,” the NWS said. “Storm surge may begin to arrive as early as (Thursday) afternoon ahead of the strongest winds, building through landfall.”
Time to prepare for Hurricane Helene essentially over
Millions of Florida residents from the Panhandle to the Keys have spent the last several days preparing for potential impacts, but as Helene gains strength and moves closer to the Sunshine State, the time to prepare is essentially over.
Windows are boarded up and residents were busy filling sandbags and stocking up on essential supplies this week ahead of mandatory evacuation orders that were issued for numerous counties ahead of the hurricane’s arrival.
Earlier this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency for 61 of the state’s 67 counties to help agencies prepare for the storm.
Shelters have also been opened for evacuated Florida residents, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management said that as of Wednesday night, about 500 people were seeking safety in a shelter.
And it wasn’t only residents who have been busy preparing – travel is also being impacted.
Flight disruptions have been reported at the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta, and Tampa International Airport said it was suspending operations on Thursday.
Cruise lines have also been impacted in Port Canaveral and Tampa in Florida, and even major theme parks like Universal Studios and Walt Disney World in Orlando are reporting closures.
Crews have also been getting ready to protect critical infrastructure with the hopes of minimizing impacts from Hurricane Helene.
Thousands of utility crews across the U.S. have descended upon Florida to help with power restoration efforts once the weather improves. This includes tree trimmers and bucket trucks to help repair storm damage and restore power when it’s safe enough to do so.
Where is Hurricane Helene going?
As of the latest advisory from the NHC, Hurricane Helene was located more than 300 miles southwest of Tampa and was moving to the north-northeast at 12 mph.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to 100 mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane.
However, the NHC warns that Hurricane Helene will continue to intensify and could become a Category 3 hurricane with winds of at least 115 mph when it makes landfall along Florida’s Big Bend region Thursday night or early Friday morning.
Hurricane-force winds (75-plus mph) extend 60 miles from the storm’s, center while tropical-storm-force winds (40-plus mph) extend outward 345 miles.
That’s roughly the distance between Miami and Jacksonville. For those living outside of Florida, that’s also roughly the same distance between New York City and Pittsburgh, or from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
So far, a 64-mph wind gust was reported at Naval Air Station Key West in Florida, and conditions are expected to continue to deteriorate as Hurricane Helene moves closer.