Watch from Cancun as Hurricane Helene heads north to Florida

Watch from Cancun on Mexico ’s Gulf coast as Florida braced for the arrival of Hurricane Helene on Thursday, forecast to be a powerful Category 4 storm when it smashes into the state’s panhandle.

Officials issued dire warnings, pleading with residents in coastal areas along the hurricane’s path to evacuate ahead of catastrophic winds and a potentially deadly storm surge, the wall of seawater pushed on land by hurricane-force winds, that could rise to 20 feet (6.1 meters) in some spots.

It comes just over a month after Storm Debby hurtled into the Sunshine State.

If Helene makes landfall in Florida on Thursday, it will be the fourth hurricane to make landfall in the US this year.

The storm roared across the Gulf of Mexico, picking up power from the warm ocean water. It is forecast to make landfall in Florida’s panhandle Thursday evening, packing sustained wind speeds of up to 156 miles per hour (251 km per hour), forecasters said.