Tropical Storm Helene is expected to become one of the ‘most aggressive’ in hurricane history as the National Weather Service expects mudslides and flooding in Cuba before it reaches major hurricane strength in Florida. 

Early Wednesday, Helene was located about 45 miles east of Cozumel, Mexico and about 120 miles southwest of the western tip of Cuba as it moved northwest at nine miles per hour. 

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the upper Florida Keys, the southern Florida Peninsula and the northeast coast of Florida early Wednesday. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the South Carolina coast north of the Savannah River to the South Santee River. Helene is expected to become a major hurricane – Category 3 or higher – packing winds as high as 115 mph, with the storm expected to hit Florida on Thursday evening. 

In the U.S., state and national authorities warned of damaging winds and surging walls of seawater driven inland, inundating low-lying coastal areas of Florida’s panhandle and west coast as early as Wednesday. Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in most Florida counties.

People in some regions already faced mandatory evacuation orders on Tuesday ahead of expected coastal flooding. Residents in the Florida Panhandle, Big Bend region and parts of the central and eastern Gulf coast have been told to prepare for the storm by Wednesday night, as it could bring life-threatening storm surges and destructive winds.

Restaurant worker Hal Summers said he’s taking no chances, and is heading inland to stay with a friend. 

He said he barely survived Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 hurricane, that struck Mexico Beach in 2018.

That storm rapidly intensified and caught residents off guard before plowing a destructive path across the western Florida Panhandle. He recalled wading through rising water with his cat in his arms to get to safety. His home was destroyed.

‘That was such a traumatic experience that that is not the place I needed to be for myself,’ Summers said.

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