The storm currently hovering near the Yucatan Peninsula has officially strengthened into a hurricane, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has warned Floridians that the storm's impacts will be widespread and far-reaching beyond the bounds of uncertainty.
According to an 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Helen is expected to become a hurricane and make landfall as a major storm somewhere in Florida's Big Bend region.
National Commission on Higher Education Warn The storm is so large that it poses a real risk of “life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of the Florida peninsula and Florida's Big Bend.” Storm surges are forecast along the entire west coast of Florida, with some areas expected to reach 15 feet. Peak storm surges of up to 3 feet are also expected in northeast Florida through Georgia and South Carolina.
“Devastating hurricane-force winds are expected across parts of northern Florida and southern Georgia as the core of Helene moves inland,” the NHC warned, noting tropical storm conditions will begin on Thursday.
“Helene's expected rapid movement is expected to bring destructive and life-threatening wind gusts into parts of the inland southeastern United States, including the highlands of the southern Appalachian Mountains,” the NHC said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference Wednesday morning and warned that the storm's impacts will reach far beyond the area.
“Currently, 61 of Florida's 67 counties have declared states of emergency,” he said, noting that those counties also received partial approval from FEMA for pre-landfall emergency declarations.
“This storm is going to have a significant impact,” DeSantis said at a press conference before the 11 a.m. announcement that the storm would be upgraded to a hurricane.
“Different models show different intensities, but it's clear that there is a track that can rapidly intensify before making landfall. You'll see the cone created by the National Hurricane Center. You'll see the spaghetti models that I see online, which are fine and you should look at them, but understand that this is a very large storm,” he warned, adding that “it will have impacts that go far beyond what the spaghetti models and the cone models show.”
“Here in the Tampa Bay area, none of the spaghetti models or cones are necessarily saying the eye of the storm is going to hit Tampa Bay. But even if it's 100 or 200 miles off the coast, you're going to see the effects of storm surge. You're going to see the effects of flooding. So be prepared for that,” he added, urging residents to follow local warnings.
“Southeast Florida is not included in the 61 counties, but the southeast coast of Florida will likely be hit with tropical storm force winds. So this is a very large storm and could have significant impacts,” DeSantis added.
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