Tracking the Tropics: Hurricane Helene update | 3 p.m. Wednesday

Helene became a hurricane on Wednesday and has entered the Gulf of Mexico as it continues to track toward the Florida coast.

The National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane and storm surge warnings for parts of Florida's Gulf Coast, including the Tampa Bay area, ahead of potential impacts from the storm. It's expected to further strengthen into a major hurricane, category 3 or higher, sometime Thursday ahead of landfall.

[alexlowe]

This storm is crazy. Just a few hours later, and the newest models have the storm at cat 4 when it makes landfall. It's just moving so dang fast. Tomorrow morning it'll be in the gulf, and the next afternoon it'll be sitting over Atlanta with tropical storm winds. Yesterday it wasn't even a tropical storm. This is a storm for the record books. It'll be one people remember for a long time.

This is probably the first tropical storm anyone in Atlanta can remember, and hurricane force winds farther inland than I've ever seen. I just watched someone say this is one of the highest storm surges ever predicted, and it's going to scrape the entire coast of Florida with that storm surge, while dumping tons of rain in the Georgia mountains where lots of people are going to suddenly realize they're in a river flood plane. This is going to be bad. Partially because of how strong the storm is, and partially because of how quickly it's moving and how many people aren't going to prepare for the storm.

Edit: Just 5 hours later, and Helene is already expected to be PAST Atlanta by 1pm Friday, making landfall during the early darkness Friday. This thing is insane.

[christopherfoy]

Is it just me or did this storm sneak up on a lot of people
It's gonna be on Anna Maria by 3 o'clock? I've got people in Tallahassee that didn't even know there was a storm out there
I believe they're right, about CAT 3 but a strong one
130+. Which is borderline everything is flattened or underwater .

[michaels]

Jesus can you can protect all of the Florida people and make them safe, strong and protect them in Jesus name we pray a man.🙏

[aaabeverages]

Tropicaltidbits is the go to. They already told the wind figures.

[SzymczykProductions]

My job is making us work in Jacksonville tomorrow outside 😢

[Starscreamf]

The wind field is bigger but this reminds me a bit of Charley in 04. Went through that monster and though I am inland from where it made landfall, because it waa moving so fast it still had sustained 110+mph winds when it came through my area.

[joycoughlan]

Thank you SO much for these specifics!!

[stevenmorrison]

Considering it hasn't rained much lately in Manatee county. Only 4-8 inches of rain is forecasted isn't a lot for a storm that size.

[alex]

Is coming closer to Cape Coral fort Myers

[coacoa]

WHICH WAY WILL IT GO FURTHER EAST OR FURTHER WEST..IT NEVER GOES WHERE THEY SAY IN THE BEGINNING AND I MEAN NEVER.. MY BLESSINGS TO THOSE AFFECTED..I'M A REPONDER IN CHARLESTON

[MainMan]

Why hasn’t President Trump’s idea of using a nuclear weapon to destroy hurricane been tried?

[SpenderDebby-xn]

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