Topics: Florida, Weather, Climate Change, US News
It's September, which can only mean one thing... hurricanes battering large parts of Florida and causing utter devastation.
This time, Hurricane Helene is forecast to cause a fair bit of destruction in the sunshine state, with it being dubbed a category four storm by the time it makes landfall in the state later on Thursday (26 September).
The National Hurricane Center is warning that the storm surge could climb as high as 20 feet on some coastlines, with the likes of Miami usually facing the brunt of such storms in the past.
The center warned: "A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level, along with destructive waves.
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"Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by early Thursday before tropical storm conditions arrive."
The experts added that as of 5am local time on Thursday, Helene was already providing wind strengths of a whopping 90mph.
Those excessive winds are only expected to get worse in the coming hours, with the hurricane center predicting speeds of at least 130mph could be reacher later this afternoon.
While tropical storms are fairly common in Florida, Helene is predicted to cause quite a bit of damage.
In fact, hurricane expert Michael Lowry has warned the hurricane is set to grow into one of the largest storms in the Gulf of Mexico over the last century.
He penned on Twitter: "Only four named storms this century have been as large over the Gulf of Mexico (measured by the extent of tropical storm winds) as Helene is forecast to become by tomorrow: Irma (2017), Ike (2008), Ivan (2004) and Isidore (2002)."
Thousands of people living in Florida have been forced to evacuate their homes, and even the entire state as a result of the risk posed by the hurricane.
The Tallahassee National Weather Service has issued a stark warning for anyone living in and around Apalachee Bay, as they stated in an update on Wednesday (25 September) that the storm surge threat is 'catastrophic and/or potentially unsurvivable'.
Damage has already been down further south, with cars plunged underwater In the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
Meanwhile, Cuba’s province of Pinar del Río has seen more than 50,000 people left without power.
