Helene Strengthening, Expected to Bring Catastrophic Winds And Storm Surge

The impact Helene could have on the Big Bend could be catastrophic. That's what the National Weather Service says as the storm approaches the area.

Landfall is expected this evening or early Friday morning. High winds and life-threatening storm surge are expected on the coast surrounding Apalachee Bay.

The 5AM advisory from the National Hurricane Center states:

The center of Hurricane Helene was located near latitude 24.2 North, longitude 86.2 West. Helene is moving toward the north-northeast near 12 mph (19 km/h). This general motion is expected to continued with a significant increase in forward speed during the next 24 hours. On the forecast track, Helene will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico today and cross the Florida Big Bend coast this evening or early Friday morning.

After landfall, Helene is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 90 mph (150 km/h) with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast, and Helene is expected to be a major hurricane when it reaches the Florida Big Bend coast this evening.

The NWS forecasts a nightmare surge scenario for the bay area, and it implores residents to take any evacuations order seriously.

Also, heavy rain, up to ten inches, could cause flash flooding, and a few tornadoes could pop up, too. The NWS says power outages could last days, if not weeks.