The National Hurricane Center projects that Hurricane Helene will become a Category 4 hurricane by 2 p.m. EDT on Sept. 26, boasting winds of more than 132 miles per hour.
Helene was spotted 460 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida—a town within the expected landfall area—boasting winds of 85 mph at 5 p.m. EDT on Sept. 25. Hurricane-force winds (74 mph and greater) extend 25 miles out from its center while tropical storm-force winds (39–73 mph) are recorded 345 miles out.
“The environment appears primed for significant strengthening while Helene moves across the Gulf of Mexico,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) stated.
The storm’s center will be roughly parallel with Tampa Bay, Florida, when it achieves that level of strength by 2 p.m. on Sept. 25. It will be more than 150 miles out to sea, but tropical storm force winds are still projected to reach more than 270 miles to the east, and 58 mph winds are expected to extend out more than 100 miles.
Up to 20 feet of storm surge is now predicted for the Big Bend region of Florida’s Gulf Coast between Carrabelle and the Suwannee River.
“Preparations to protect life and property from storm surge and damaging winds along the Florida Big Bend Coast should be rushed to completion today,” the NHC stated in its 5 a.m. advisory on Sept. 25.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed Floridians on Sept. 25, telling them that now is the time to put their hurricane plans into action.
“You still have time to do what you need to do,” he said during a 3:30 p.m. press conference at the state Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Tallahassee.
“But please know that time to fully execute your plan, especially if it involves evacuations, is coming to an end probably by the end of the day today or first thing tomorrow morning.
“The way this is tracking is a storm that is stronger than what we’ve seen in this region, I think, in anyone’s memory.”
DeSantis was joined in the EOC by Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FEDM), and they both echoed the need for people to heed evacuation warnings from local officials.
They announced that the FDEM partnered with Uber to provide free rides to shelters, and bus transportation was available for residents trying to evacuate Taylor, Wakulla, and Franklin counties into neighboring Leon County.
Emergency accommodation modules have been activated by Visit Florida on Expedia and Priceline to provide lodging resources and real-time hotel availability for residents and visitors. DeSantis reminded Floridians that when under a state of emergency, hotels will take people with their pets.
More than 60 facilities, including assisted living facilities and hospitals, have been evacuated as well.
The governor specifically called out those in a low-lying area on the coast facing storm surge and those more toward the north by Tallahassee surrounded by trees.
“Roofs that are going to be able to withstand 125 mph [winds] is one thing. Being able to withstand a massive tree falling on it is another,” he said.
Evacuations across the state are underway, and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue said his department is constantly monitoring traffic on the major highways, ready to open the road shoulders to traffic if the speed drops below 45 mph.
He said 1,700 personnel have been deployed for this storm and will be out as soon as possible assisting in cut-and-toss initiatives to clear debris and assess road damage. They are also staging fuel for law enforcement, 550 generators, and 40 large pumps.
Perdue also confirmed that the City of Tallahassee Airport, Tampa International Airport, and St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport announced their intention to close because of the storm.
Bridges will also be closed by local law enforcement once sustained winds exceed 40 mph.
Guthrie said the state was working to fulfill more than 950 resource requests for local governments across the state. A majority of the requests were for after the storm made landfall, and he said that all of the pre-landfall requests would be fulfilled in time.
Pre-staged emergency resources, as of the governor’s press briefing, include more than 21,000 linemen, 3,500 National Guard soldiers, more than 250 Florida State Guard members, tens of thousands of shelf-stable meals, and a menagerie of vessels, vehicles, and teams trained for search and rescue missions.
DeSantis confirmed that he will be spending the night at the governor’s mansion with his family and will return to the EOC the following morning. He plans to ride out the entire storm from the EOC.
Georgia, Carolinas Prepare for Helene
The Sunshine State is not the only one preparing for Helene.The National Hurricane Center forecasts life-threatening hurricane-force winds penetration southern Georgia and “catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, including landslides” for portions of southern Appalachia.
Tropical storm warnings have been declared for all of South Carolina, parts of western North Carolina. All of Georgia and the southeast corner of Alabama are under either a tropical storm warning or a hurricane warning.
Helene’s center is expected to be nearing Columbus, Georgia, on the Alabama border on the morning of Sept. 27 as it makes its way into southern Appalachia and the Tennessee–Kentucky border.
It is projected to still be a hurricane at that point, maintaining 80 mph winds and pushing tropical storm-force winds more than 270 miles to the east and 70 miles west, which means deep into Alabama.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the Peach State’s entire Atlantic coast and most of the South Carolina coast up to the South Santee River. A tropical storm watch extends beyond that north to Little River Inlet.
A storm surge of one to three feet is also forecasted from the South Santee River south to Volusia County, Florida.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper have all declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Helene’s arrival.
“We will likely avoid the brunt of this storm, but it is still expected to bring flooding, high winds, and isolated tornadoes,” McMaster said on X. “Take proper precautions and monitor local forecasts.”
