Hurricane Helene, which reached category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale on the morning of this Thursday, is approaching the coasts of Florida as a dangerous cyclonic system.
Helene, which struck the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and the western part of Cuba this Wednesday, is headed towards Florida with a strong possibility of arriving as a devastating storm.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), catastrophic storm surges are likely to occur along the Big Bend coast, where flooding could reach up to 20 feet (6.1 meters) above ground level.
They also added that hurricane-force winds are expected when it makes landfall in the Big Bend region, scheduled for the night of this Thursday.
"Hurricane-force winds that are potentially life-threatening, especially in gusts, will penetrate inland in parts of northern Florida and southern Georgia," they stated in their statement.
At 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Helene was about 255 miles southwest of Tampa, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, experiencing rapid intensification.
The National Hurricane Center of the United States (NHC) predicts that Helene could intensify to a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall in the U.S., which is why Florida has already begun the evacuation of people living in areas vulnerable to the impact, as well as the closure of schools and the declaration of emergency in several counties.
Since Wednesday night, tropical storm conditions are being felt in Florida, said the Univisión network.
As of Thursday morning, flooding was reported in areas of Naples, Treasure Island, Tampa, and St. Petersburg.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under: