Washington.-Fast-moving Hurricane Helene moved across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida on Thursday, threatening “insurmountable” storm surge in the state’s northwest, as well as damaging winds, rain and flash flooding hundreds of miles inland across much of southeast Florida. USA, said the National Weather Service in Tallahassee.
Helene is expected to be a Category 3 or higher hurricane when it makes landfall on Florida’s northwest coast Thursday night. By early Thursday, hurricane and flash flood warnings extended beyond the coast into south-central Georgia. The governors of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas have declared emergencies in their states.
Strong winds and rain hit Marco Island ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Helene, which is expected to rapidly strengthen and hit Florida on Thursday (September 25) as a Category 4 storm, producing “catastrophic” winds of up to 156 miles per hour (251 km per hour), according to meteorologists.
The weather service predicted storm surges of up to 20 feet and warned that they could be especially “catastrophic and life-threatening” in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. He added that strong winds and torrential rain also posed risks.
“This forecast, if realized, is a nightmare storm surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” the office said. “Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!”
In Crawfordville, further inland and about 25 miles northwest of Apalachee Bay, Christine Nazworth stocked up on bottled water, baked goods and convenience foods at a Walmart. He said his family would shelter in place, even though Wakulla County issued a mandatory evacuation order.
“I’m praying,” he said. “May the Lord have mercy on us. And everyone else who may be in his way.”
Wakulla County was one of several that issued evacuation orders. Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, school districts and multiple universities have canceled classes.
Early Thursday, Helene was about 560 kilometers southwest of Tampa and moving northeast at 19 km/h with maximum sustained winds of 150 km/h. Forecasters said it should become a Category 3 hurricane or higher, meaning winds would reach 177 kph.
Although Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, its “rapid forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States,” including the southern Appalachian Mountains, the National Hurricane Center said. The center issued minor tropical storm warnings as far north as North Carolina, warning that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages, downed trees and dangerous flooding.
Helene had flooded parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed out to sea and brushed against the resort city of Cancun.
The storm formed on Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. In Cuba, the government preemptively cut off power to some communities as waves up to 5 meters high hit Cortés Bay. And in the Cayman Islands, schools closed and residents pumped water from flooded homes.
It was pouring rain in Atlanta on Wednesday night as shoppers emptied the shelves of a Kroger supermarket east of downtown. The National Weather Service in Atlanta issued flash flood warnings for much of the state.
Charles McComb said he still found it hard to believe Helene could seriously affect the city, which is more than 400 kilometers north of the Gulf of Mexico. “It would be really unique if it hit that deep,” Charles said as he bought water, bread and meat for lunch. However, he was worried about running out of power. “I live in an area where it doesn’t take that much for the power to go out,” he said.
Helene is expected to be one of the largest storms to hit the region in years, according to Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University. He said that since 1988, only three Gulf hurricanes were larger than Helene’s predicted size: 2017’s Irma, 2005’s Wilma and 1995’s Opal.
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hurricane Hunter mission flew directly into the calm eye of Hurricane Helene on Wednesday (September 25), collecting crucial data as the storm churned toward Florida with catastrophic force.
Areas 100 miles north of the Georgia-Florida line can expect hurricane conditions. More than half of Georgia’s public school districts and several universities canceled classes.
For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst hit to a major inner-South city in 35 years, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd.
Landslides are possible in the southern Appalachians, and precipitation is expected as far away as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana.
Federal authorities have placed generators, food and water, along with search and rescue and power restoration teams.
Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year due to record-breaking ocean temperatures.
Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic and is expected to strengthen as it moves east across the open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said. Isaac was about 1,115 kilometers northeast of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 85 kph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, which said its storm surge and winds could affect parts of Bermuda and eventually to the Azores for the weekend.
In the Pacific, former Hurricane John became a tropical storm on Wednesday and was strengthening as it threatened areas of the western coast of Mexico. Authorities issued hurricane warnings for southwestern Mexico.
John struck the southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing at least two people, triggering landslides and damaging homes in an area of Mexico’s western coast.
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2024-09-27 13:26:13
