Helene has strengthened into a hurricane, and forecasters warn that the storm will intensify as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico on a path to Florida.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Helene became a hurricane Wednesday after rapidly strengthening in the Caribbean Sea and moved north along Mexico’s coast on a path toward the U.S., leading residents to evacuate, schools to close, and officials to declare emergencies in Florida and Georgia. The storm’s center was near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, the […]

Officials have declare emergencies in Florida and Georgia

The US state of Florida on Tuesday was preparing for the arrival of Storm Helene, due to make landfall later in the week as a powerful Category 3 hurricane.

The hurricane is expected to make landfall in Florida, with over 40 million people in three US states currently under storm warnings.

The storm is forecast to be ‘near hurricane strength’ when it passes near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

Hurricane Helene has been officially named with the storm strengthening as it heads across the Gulf of Mexico on a path to Florida with wind speeds of 80mph

Forecasters say they expect Tropical Storm Helene in the Caribbean Sea to strengthen rapidly and become a hurricane as it moves north across the Gulf of Mexico toward the United States.

As Tropical Storm Helene continues its journey through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it has quickly intensified with maximum sustained winds

As of 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, the storm was about 500 miles from Tampa, Florida with maximum sustained winds of 80 m.p.h. 

Thousands of residents on Wednesday began evacuating parts of coastal Florida as the US state braces for Hurricane Helene, forecast to barrel ashore as a powerful, potentially deadly storm.

Follow the Post for live Hurricane Helene updates.