Hurricane Helen, which has strengthened from a tropical storm, struck Mexico's coastal state of Quintana Roo on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to Cancun and the surrounding area.
The Category 1 hurricane formed Wednesday morning and has been raging in the Caribbean, with its destructive eye now approaching the Florida coast, where a life-threatening landfall is expected on Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm would bring “life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rains” as it headed toward the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Helen is currently battering western Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula.
In the storm's path is Cancun, home to some of Mexico's most beautiful beaches.
“I experienced Beryl here in July and that was a brutal storm compared to what's happening outside my window right now,” said Michelle Kolayczyk, who posted a video to X from outside her hotel room.
“It's monsoon outside. High winds and heavy rain. The beaches have disappeared.”
Kolayczyk began to panic as water began pouring in from all corners of the room.
“There are no towels left. The bed is now like an island,” she added.
Hunter Keeling has been visiting the resort town and documenting the storm's progress, observing how resorts are preparing for Helen after winds picked up Tuesday night.
this Stephen Mangini VideoHe said he had travelled to Mexico from Manchester, England, and was seen at the Hotel Riu Dunamar in Cancun on Wednesday morning, where the situation appeared to be deteriorating.
Another American hotel guest, travel agent Jody Holiskey, who was staying in Playa del Carmen, showed Helen's torrential rain and strong winds in footage.
“Crouching down waiting for Helen to pass.” She said in her post on X:.
Lightning was spotted in the night sky over Merida, on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, early Wednesday morning as a strengthening hurricane, Hurricane Helen, moved along the Gulf Coast of Mexico.
As Helene strengthens, its wind field is expanding dramatically, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
This exceptionally large storm could bring strong winds up to 400 miles from the center, potentially reducing the reliability of traditional forecast cones.
Most of Florida, including areas outside the cone, should prepare for strong to damaging wind gusts, with widespread power outages possible.
The most damaging winds are expected in the Big Bend region and along Interstate 10, where gusts could exceed 100 mph.
This can cause serious structural damage.
Rains will start spreading across the state from Wednesday onwards, but flash flooding is unlikely due to fast-moving rain.
Increased runoff could cause localized flooding in urban areas such as Tampa and Fort Myers.
But the Big Bend region will be at greater risk for flooding when the storm makes landfall Thursday.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 2.4 million U.S. residents were under hurricane warnings and 22.6 million were under tropical storm warnings.
The hurricane's powerful winds will push Gulf of Mexico waters into coastal areas, causing destructive and potentially life-threatening storm surges.
Harbors, bays, inlets and rivers along the Gulf of Mexico are especially vulnerable.
Florida is expected to return to normal weather patterns on Friday after the storm passes, with afternoon thunderstorms expected through the weekend.
