The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has begun issuing advisories for Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, which is expected to develop into Tropical Storm Helene later today or tonight.
Big Picture
Helene is forecast to form in the northwestern Caribbean and strengthen into a hurricane as it moves toward the Florida Panhandle and West Central Florida.
The storm could reach Category 2 or 3 intensity, producing a wide area of impacts including strong winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Details
The NHC predicts that currently disorganized thunderstorms in the northwestern Caribbean will consolidate, forming a defined center of circulation today or tonight.
Once organized, the storm is expected to move through the Yucatán Channel and intensify into a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.