Florida braces for major hurricane as Helene strengthening rapidly
Al Jazeera
Helene is rapidly intensifying and forecast to become a powerful Category 3 hurricane headed for Florida, forecasters say.
Hurricane Helene has rapidly strengthened in the Caribbean Sea while moving north between the coasts of Mexico and Cuba towards the United States, prompting officials to declare an emergency in Florida.
Helene is expected to move over deep, warm waters, fuelling its intensification on Wednesday as it moves north across the Gulf of Mexico, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Heavy rainfall was forecast for the southeastern US starting Wednesday, with a “life-threatening storm surge” along the entire west coast of Florida, according to the NHC.
On Wednesday afternoon, Helene was located about 135 kilometres (85 miles) from Cozumel, Mexico, and about 810km (503 miles) south-southwest of Tampa, on Florida’s west coast, as it moved northwest at 17km/h (10mph) with maximum sustained winds of 130km/h (80mph).
The strong winds knocked out power in the Cayman Islands where heavy rain and waves reached as high as three metres (10 feet).
