Hurricane Helene path tracker: When will it hit the US coast and what will be the first affected areas?
A weather system south of the Cayman Islands is likely to become a tropical storm and strengthen quickly into hurricane as it moves north towards the U.S.
A weather system called Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine PTC9 is moving through the northwest Caribbean Sea towards the southeast Gulf of Mexico, threatening to affect southeastern parts of the United States.
Once the system reaches sustained winds of 39 mph, it will become a tropical storm to be named Helene, which is forecast to quickly intensify into hurricane strength. Meteorological projections indicate the storm will become a category level three hurricane or higher within the next 72 hours.
Keep yourself posted on the storm’s progress through our LIVE updates.
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Hurricane Helene path tracker: When will it hit the US coast and what will be the first affected areas?
The NHC says it is still “too soon to pinpoint the exact location and magnitude” of the hurricane’s impact. However, northwest Florida is already under alert given the system’s projected path. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has already declared 41 of the state’s 67 counties to be under a state of emergency, as Helene is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in the Florida Panhandle “in the next few days.”
“The potential for life-threatening storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds along the coast of the Florida Panhandle and the Florida west coast is increasing,” according to the National Hurricane Center.
PTC9 could bring heavy rainfall that could result in “flash and urban flooding across portions of Florida, with isolated flash and urban flooding possible across the Southeast, Southern Appalachians, and the Tennessee Valley Wednesday to Friday.”
The weather agency urges residents to have a hurricane plan in place and to stay tuned for additional hurricane and storm surge watches.
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In addition to Florida, parts of Mexico and Cuba are also under a hurricane warning due to the trajectory of the weather system.
For more information and real-time updates, visit the National Weather Service website or the National Hurricane Center.