The potentially "catastrophic" Hurricane Helene was quickly advancing Thursday across the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida, threatening an “unsurvivable” storm surge in northwestern parts of the state as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S.
According to forecasters, it was expected to be a major hurricane -- meaning a Category 3 or higher, with winds between 111 and 129 mph -- when it makes landfall on Florida's northwestern coast between 6 and 9 p.m. Thursday evening.
As of early Thursday morning, it was still a Category 1 though it was expected to intensify Thursday afternoon, NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes said. By 8 a.m., it had moved up to a Category 2.
Once it makes landfall, it could bring waves as high as 15 to 20 feet, Jeanes said.
"Basically that's water up to the roof on a two story house," Jeanes said. "A really, really dangerous situation."
As of early Thursday, hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extended far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia. The governors of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas have all declared emergencies in their states.
Rains from the storm could impact downstate Illinois and Northwest Indiana by around 1 p.m. Friday, with rain lasting into Saturday morning. Bands of widespread rain and spotty showers were expected to continue at across Illinois Saturday and into Sunday, the NBC 5 Storm Team said, though the total amount of rain wasn't expected to be high.
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"We could see a quarter of an inch, or three-quarters of an inch at most," NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said, of Helene's impacts locally.
Flights out of Chicago's O'Hare and Midway International Airports Thursday morning were already seeing impacts.
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As of 6 a.m. Thursday, O'Hare saw 33 cancellations due to the storm, and Midway was at 19, according to the site FlyChicago.com. Some of those cancellations were due to Tampa's airport suspending all commericial flights due to the storm, NBC 5 Traffic Reporter Kye Martin said.
Hurricane Helene Live Tracker
The tracker below shows live updates of Hurricane Helene as of Thursday morning.
Hurricane Helene could be 'catastrophic and unsurvivable'
The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and warned they could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable” in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. It added that high winds and heavy rains also posed risks.
“This forecast, if realized, is a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” the office said. “Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!”
In Crawfordville, farther inland and about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Apalachee Bay, Christine Nazworth stocked up on bottled water, baked goods and premade meals at a Walmart. She said her family would be sheltering in place, despite Wakulla County issuing a mandatory evacuation order.
“I’m prayed up,” she said. “Lord have mercy on us. And everybody else that might be in its path.”
Wakulla County was one of several to issue evacuation orders. Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, school districts and multiple universities have cancelled classes.
Early Thursday, Helene was about 350 miles (560 kilometers) southwest of Tampa and moving north northeast at 12 mph (19 kph) with top sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph). Forecasters said it should become a Category 3 or higher hurricane, meaning winds would top 110 mph (177 kph).
While Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, its “fast forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States,” including in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the National Hurricane Center said. The center posted lesser tropical storm warnings as far north as North Carolina, and warned that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages, toppled trees and dangerous flooding.
Helene had swamped parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun.
The storm formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. In Cuba, the government preventively shut off power in some communities as waves as high as 16 feet (5 meters) slammed Cortes Bay. And in the Cayman Islands, schools closed and residents pumped water from flooded homes.
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 because of record-warm ocean temperatures.
Other Tropical Storms, Hurricanes to watch for
In further storm activity, Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic and was expected to strengthen as it moves eastward across the open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said. Isaac was about 690 miles (1,115 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda with top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), according to the hurricane center, which said its swells and winds could affect parts of Bermuda and eventually the Azores by the weekend.
In the Pacific, former Hurricane John reformed Wednesday as a tropical storm and was strengthening as it threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast. Officials posted hurricane warnings for southwestern Mexico.
John hit the country’s southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing at least two people, triggering mudslides, and damaging homes and trees. It grew into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours and made landfall east of Acapulco. It reemerged over the ocean after weakening inland.
