Helene builds up strength in Gulf prepping for landfall. What does that mean for Virginia?

(Note: This story has been updated with more information)

As Hurricane Helene continues to draw a bead on Florida, weather forecasters here in Virginia expect that the most we could expect would be “a wet day” on Friday.

Once the hurricane makes landfall Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region, it is expected to follow a westward path that will deliver a bigger punch to portions of Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. That left turn is what is expected to save Virginia from disastrous results.

“By the time it gets more inland, it will be well west of us,” Alex Butner, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Wakefield, Virginia, said. “Right now, we are looking at probably just a wet day Friday.”

Asked about the possibility of Helene wobbling off that path as it weakens, Butner said NWS was “pretty confident” that will not happen. Areas south of Petersburg to the North Carolina line will probably stand the greater chance of more severe weather but nothing like what Florida should experience.

Despite expectations that Helene will spare Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin still issued a state of emergency based on the possibility of "significant rainfall, flooding, tornadoes and strong winds" in parts of the state. Earlier in the day, North Carolina Roy Cooper issued a similar declaration.

An emergency declaration ahead of the severe weather allows for resources to be put on alert just in case they are needed.

Helene continued to churn northeastward through the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday, aiming toward the Big Bend – Florida's curve from its panhandle to its peninsula – for a landfall late Thursday. It is expected to be a Category 3 hurricane by then, with wind speeds of 120-125 mph.

Florida, Georgia and Alabama were preparing for the brunt of the storm. USA TODAY reported that Tallahassee, Florida’s capital city and part of the Big Bend region, could experience its worst wind event in recorded history.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Helene builds up strength in Gulf prepping for landfall. What does that mean for Virginia?