A brewing storm in the Caribbean Sea is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico over the next few days and make landfall along the Gulf Coast as early as Thursday − possibly as a major Category 3 system.
“Everyone along the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region needs to be prepared for hurricane impacts,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said Monday, adding that the setup has the potential to become the strongest hurricane landfall in the U.S. so far this season.
WeatherTiger Meteorologist Ryan Truchelut put it succinctly in an online post Monday afternoon: "Helene will come at you faster than you think, so go into hurricane mode now. While there remains uncertainty in both the track and intensity forecast, Florida isn’t getting out of this one."