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Hurricane Helene reside: Track storm as Florida braces for landfall

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Hurricane Helene is braced to make landfall in Florida today threatening to bring catastrophic damage to homes in the Sunshine State. The Category 4 storm is approaching the US coastline with wind speeds of up to 130mph after spending days strengthening in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm is expected to make landfall on Florida’s northwestern coast Thursday evening and as of early morning, hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extended far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia.

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency ahead of Helene’s arrival with state officials warning the impact on residents and businesses could be ‘unprecedented’, while the National Weather Service in Tallahassee forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet and warned they could be particularly ‘catastrophic and life-threatening’ in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. It added that high winds and heavy rains also posed risks.

Follow our live blog below for the latest updates:

Hurricane Helene: Map shows forecast path of storm and where it is expected to make landfall

Mets-Braves games postponed in Atlanta

Major League Baseball has announced the postponement of the scheduled games between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Truist Park in Atlanta.

The teams were set to play on Wednesday and Thursday nights, but have been pushed back to a doubleheader on Monday, September 30 due to the weather.

The first game will begin at 1.10pm ET and the second will start 40 minutes after the last out in the first game, the statement said.

‘To all of our fans throughout Braves Country that will be impacted by Hurricane Helene, please stay safe,’ The Braves wrote on X.

A tarp covers the infield as rain comes down at Truist Park after the baseball game between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves as postponed, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Atlanta. The Mets-Braves games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday are postponed and will be made up as a doubleheader Monday, Sept. 30. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Mexico and Cuba hit hard by Helene

Helene has left a trail of destruction en route to the United States.

It swamped parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun.

The storm formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea.

In Cuba, the government preventively shut off power in some communities as waves as high as 16 feet slammed Cortes Bay.

In the Cayman Islands, schools closed and residents pumped water from flooded homes.

TOPSHOT - A residents of the coastal town of Guanimar in Artemisa province, southwest of Havana, wade trough a flooded street after the passage of Hurricane Helene on September 25, 2024. Tropical Storm Helene became a hurricane mid-morning in the Gulf of Mexico. "Life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds, rainfall and flooding are expected across much of Florida and the southeastern United States," the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP) (Photo by YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - A car in a flooded street is seen after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Cancun, Quintana Roo State, Mexico, on September 25, 2024. Tropical Storm Helene became a hurricane mid-morning in the Gulf of Mexico. "Life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds, rainfall and flooding are expected across much of Florida and the southeastern United States," the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin. (Photo by Elizabeth Ruiz / AFP) (Photo by ELIZABETH RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Major damage expected as storms strengthen in the south

Helene is expected to be a major hurricane – meaning a Category 3 or higher – when it makes landfall tonight.

As Helene strengthens, forecaster warn that Tropical Storm Isaac – which formed yesterday in the Atlantic – is expected to strengthen as it moves eastward across the open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week.

In the Pacific, former Hurricane John reformed Wednesday as a tropical storm and was strengthening as it threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast. Officials posted hurricane warnings for southwestern Mexico.

John hit the country’s southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing at least two people, triggering mudslides, and damaging homes and trees. It grew into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours and made landfall east of Acapulco. It reemerged over the ocean after weakening inland.

Ron DeSantis: Do not get wedded to the ‘cone’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has urged residents to ‘not get wedded to the “cone”‘ – warning that ‘hazards such as tornados, flooding, and storm surge can create dangerous conditions far beyond the cone.’

In other words, he has warned people against assuming they are safe just because their home or business is not in the direct path of the storm – or the ‘cone’ shown on weather maps.

Residents should also check official warnings issue over other hazards.

Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday evening.

Of the state’s 67 counties, 61 are under a state of emergency, DeSantis said. Mandatory evacuations are in effect in parts of at least 20 counties.

Dire warning from officials: ‘not a survivable event’

Officials have issued dire warnings, pleading with residents in coastal areas along the hurricane’s path to evacuate ahead of catastrophic winds and a potentially deadly storm surge (the wall of seawater pushed on land by hurricane-force winds), that could rise to 20 feet (6.1 meters) in some spots.

‘This is not a survivable event for those in coastal or low- lying areas,’ said Jared Miller, the sheriff of Wakulla County, where Helene is forecast to make landfall. ‘Please heed the evacuation orders in place as time is running out to do so.’

Helene roared across the Gulf of Mexico, picking up power from the warm ocean water. It is forecast to make landfall in Florida’s panhandle Thursday evening, packing sustained wind speeds of up to 156 miles per hour, forecasters said.

‘For those in the path, that unfortunately means catastrophic wind impacts,’ National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome said.

Reported by Reuters

This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 5:51 p.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico, Wednesday, Sept. 25 2024. (NOAA via AP)

Hurricane Helene is set to strike Florida’s Gulf Coast within hours, threatening an ‘unsurvivable’ storm surge that would leave catastrophic damage and could deluge cities and swallow homes.

Helene could roar ashore as a Category 4 hurricane by tonight, with wind speeds of up to 130mph after spending days strengthening in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center warned.

Forecasters predict Helene could bring storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and warned they could be particularly ‘catastrophic and life-threatening’ in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm’s arrival.

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Good morning

A sign displays a hurricane warning along a roadside as preparations are made for the arrival of Hurricane Helene, in Cedar Key, Florida on September 25, 2024. 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. Helene strengthened into a hurricane mid-morning in the Gulf of Mexico and is "expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding rains to a large portion of Florida and the Southeastern United States," the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its latest bulletin. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Hello and welcome to DailyMail.com’s live coverage of Hurricane Helene as it fast approaches Florida.

The National Hurricane Center warned Helene is likely to reach Category 4 when it makes landfall after strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico.

Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm’s arrival as forecasters predict storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters).

State officials say the damage could be unprecedented and catastrophic with residents scrambling to reach higher ground.

Stick with our coverage as we track Helene’s movements and bring you the latest developments on the ground in Flordia.

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