Is Hurricane Helen approaching?
The National Weather Center said a series of disturbances could develop into Hurricane Helen as early as Wednesday. Hurricane watches were already in effect for parts of Cuba and Mexico, and forecasters said the force could move north up the Gulf Coast and cover the southern United States.
The plan, now known as Invest 97L, has made travelers and tour operators wary of it.
“This hurricane definitely has the potential to become a major Category 3 hurricane,” Brad Reinhart, the center’s senior hurricane expert, said in a phone interview. “Residents of the Florida Panhandle and the west coast of Florida should exercise extreme caution.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis isn’t taking any chances: He has already declared states of emergency in 41 counties.
Reinhart said it’s too early to predict where it will make landfall.
“This is a pretty aggressive forecast of intensifying weather over the next few days,” he said. “People need to remain vigilant.”
Florida could experience severe winds and rain, but most early models are predicting the storm will move further west toward Mexico.
The storm cluster was located about 110 miles from Grand Cayman Island today, Monday, September 23, 2024. Up to 4 inches of rain is expected to fall on Mexico’s eastern Yucatan Peninsula, a popular tourist destination. Cancun and the Riviera Maya are under a hurricane watch.
Airlines and cruise lines are likely to adjust their schedules as the storm moves forward, with major travel hubs in Florida including Tampa, Orlando and Fort Myers potentially affected, as well as New Orleans and parts of Texas, Alabama and Mexico.
“Regardless of its level of development, this system is expected to bring heavy rainfall to portions of Central America over the next few days. Concerns in the northwest Caribbean, Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and western Cuba should closely monitor the progress of this system. … Later this week, the system is forecast to move generally north across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and concerns along the northern and northeastern Gulf Coast should also closely monitor the progress of this system.”
Hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin technically doesn’t end until November 30th.
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