Helene becomes hurricane; Florida still at greatest risk

Helene reached hurricane strength Wednesday morning.

The storm remains on track to ride between a high pressure ridge to the east and a large trough over the central Gulf states to make landfall somewhere in Florida's panhandle.

"Helene has turned north-northwestward (330/9 kt) and is expected to turn northward and north-northeastward later today and tonight, bringing the center to the coast of the Florida Big Bend Thursday evening," said Robbie Berg, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center.

Berg warns that it looks like Helen is going to have a large area of storm-force winds, which will mean a higher storm surge threatening a broad area of the Florida Gulf coast.

"Storm surge, wind, and rainfall impacts will likely extend well away from the center and outside the forecast cone, particularly on the east side," he warned.

And because Helene will be moving swiftly at landfall, forecasters say it will bring strong winds further inland. It could still be at tropical storm strength when it passes near Atlanta on Friday. Many New Orleans-area residents are expected to head to Atlanta this weekend for Sunday's Saints-Falcons game.