A major hurricane is forecasted, and alerts have been issued for the Gulf coast of Florida.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned on Monday that potential cyclone nine will strengthen and reach major hurricane status, named Helene, before impacting the northeast coast of the Gulf of Florida this Thursday.

The second report issued by the NHC indicated that the system will bring dangerous storm surges and devastating winds, primarily affecting the Florida panhandle and the west coast of the state.

It is expected that during the night of this Monday or the morning of Tuesday, hurricane warnings and storm surge alerts will be issued for some areas of the affected region, as the risks of severe impacts increase, the NHC pointed out.

He also indicated that residents of these areas must prepare and have their plans in place to mitigate the effects of the hurricane, which will be named Helene.

In its forecast, the NHC also warned about heavy rains that will affect the western Caribbean, which could lead to flooding and landslides in western Cuba.

For its part, the Institute of Meteorology of Cuba (INSMET) issued a warning on Monday for heavy rains in the western part of the country.

The cause is the potential tropical cyclone formed in the northwest Caribbean Sea, where a broad area of low pressure persists, associated with an extensive area of clouds with showers, rain, and thunderstorms, which has become better organized in the last 12 hours.

The Pinar del Río Forecast Center reported that from Tuesday to Thursday, accumulations of between 150 and 200 mm of rain are expected in most of the province, which could exceed 300 mm in the westernmost part.

For his part, Cuban meteorologist Raydel Ruisanchez shared the trajectory cone of potential cyclone nine on Facebook, hinting at the danger it represents for the province of Pinar del Río.

"Storm force winds from Pinar del Río to Artemisa, including the Isle of Youth, and they may reach hurricane strength towards the western tip," noted the expert.

"Strong swells on the southern coast of the west, including the Isle of Youth," noted the meteorologist.