Fast-moving Hurricane Helene was barreling across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida on Thursday, threatening to bring “insurmountable” storm surge to the northwestern part of the state and high winds, rain and flash flooding hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern United States, forecasters said.
Helene is expected to be a major hurricane, meaning Category 3 or higher, when it makes landfall on the northwest coast of Florida Thursday night. By Thursday morning, hurricane and flash flood warnings extended well off the coast into south-central Georgia. The governors of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas have all declared states of emergency in their states.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee predicted storm surges of up to 20 feet and warned that they could be particularly “catastrophic and deadly” in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. It added that high winds and heavy rain also posed risks.
“If these predictions come to pass, it will be a nightmare for Apalachee Bay,” the office said. “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 prepared meals at a Walmart. She said her family will remain sheltered in place, despite the mandatory evacuation order issued by Wakulla County.
“I prayed,” she said. “Lord, have mercy on us. And on anyone who might get in his way.”
Wakulla County was one of several to issue evacuation orders. Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, school districts and several universities canceled classes.
As of Thursday morning, Helene was about 350 miles (560 kilometers) southwest of Tampa and moving north at 12 mph (19 km/h) with sustained winds of 93 mph (150 km/h). Forecasters said it was expected to become a major hurricane of Category 3 or higher, meaning winds could reach 110 mph (177 km/h).
Although Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, its “rapid progress will allow strong and damaging winds, particularly gusty, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States,” including the southern Appalachians, the National Hurricane Center said. The center issued lesser tropical storm warnings as far north as North Carolina and warned that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages, downed trees and dangerous flooding.
Storm Helene slammed into parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort town of Cancun.
The storm formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. In Cuba, the government preemptively cut power to some communities as waves as high as 16 feet (5 meters) pounded Cortes Bay. And in the Cayman Islands, schools closed and residents pumped water from flooded homes.
Rain was already falling steadily in Atlanta Wednesday night, as shoppers cleared out shelves of water at 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 had a hard time believing that Hurricane Helene would have a serious impact on the city, which is more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of the Gulf of Mexico. “It would be really unique for it to hit that far inland,” Charles said as he bought water, bread and cold cuts.
Supermarkets, gas stations, hardware stores and other locations in Tallahassee were busy Wednesday as people made their last purchases before Hurricane Helene.
However, he was afraid of losing electricity.
“I live in an area where it doesn’t take 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 have been larger than Helene’s predicted size: Irma in 2017, Wilma in 2005 and Opal in 1995.
Areas within 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the Georgia-Florida border can expect hurricane-prone weather. More than half of Georgia’s public school districts and several universities have canceled classes.
For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst disaster to hit a major city in the interior South in 35 years, said Marshall Shepherd, a professor of meteorology at the University of Georgia.
Landslides were possible in the southern Appalachians, and precipitation was expected as far south as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana.
Federal authorities have deployed generators, food and water, as well as 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 predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year due to record-high ocean temperatures.
Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic and is expected to strengthen as it moves eastward over open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said. Isaac was located about 700 miles (1,115 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda with sustained winds of 53 mph (85 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, which said its waves and winds could affect parts of Bermuda and possibly the Azores by the weekend.
In the Pacific, former Hurricane John strengthened into a tropical storm Wednesday and threatened parts of Mexico’s western coast. Authorities issued hurricane warnings for southwestern Mexico.
John struck the country’s southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing at least two people, triggering mudslides and damaging homes and trees. It strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane within hours and made landfall east of Acapulco. It reemerged over the ocean after weakening inland.
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Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas. Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein in New York; Jeff Amy in Atlanta; Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Andrea Rodríguez in Havana; Mark Stevenson and María Verza in Mexico City; Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon; and Kate Payne in Crawfordville, Florida, contributed to this report.
