The National Hurricane Center revealed on Tuesday that Tropical Storm Helene has formed over the Caribbean Sea. It's expected to rapidly intensify and become a major hurricane before it hits Florida's Gulf Coast.
The storm, which is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday, is being fueled by warm waters, over 80 degrees, in the Gulf.
"The risk of impacts from life-threatening storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds continues to increase along the coast of the Florida Panhandle and the Florida west coast," the National Hurricane Center stated.
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Forecasters issued a hurricane watch from Englewood to Indian Pass. The watch includes the Tampa Bay and Sarasota regions. There are also hurricane watches in place for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and the western tip of Cuba.
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Helene's impact won't just be felt in Florida. The National Weather Service warns of rain and flooding across the South through Friday.
So far in 2024, the Atlantic hurricane season has produced eight named tropical systems, including four hurricanes and one major hurricane. Just two weeks ago, Hurricane Francine came ashore in Louisiana as a Category 2 system.
