Florida is bracing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Helene on Tuesday, which is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane before hitting the southeastern United States on Thursday, according to U.S. weather officials.
The storm, which is moving through the Caribbean on Tuesday, is expected to quickly gain strength on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin.
According to the American agency, Helene is expected to become a category 3 hurricane – on a scale of 5 – before reaching the coast of Florida on Thursday.
The state’s governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, on Tuesday expanded the state of emergency to 61 of the state’s 67 counties and mobilized the National Guard.
Ten of them have ordered evacuations in certain areas.
According to weather officials, Helene could bring heavy rains as well as strong winds and flash floods.
Before that, torrential rains are expected to hit parts of Cuba, posing the risk of “significant flooding and mudslides,” according to the NHC.
If the weather authorities’ predictions are confirmed, it would be the first hurricane of this magnitude to hit the United States in more than a year.
The last time a Category 3 hurricane made landfall was in August 2023, when Idalia hit northeast Florida.
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, was less intense than expected.
But scientists say climate change, by warming ocean waters, is making it more likely that storms will intensify rapidly and increasing the risk of more powerful hurricanes.
