Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 41 of Florida’s 67 counties Monday afternoon as the state braces for a potential Thursday landfall of a Category 2 or Category 3 Hurricane Helene.
The declaration includes Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington counties.
DeSantis based his decision on atmospheric and oceanic data that shows “highly conducive environmental conditions are forecast to organize and develop Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine into a tropical depression or tropical storm during the next day or two over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and southeastern Gulf of Mexico, where further development and strengthening is expected,” according to a release from DeSantis’s administration.
Tropical Cyclone Nine live updates: Tropical Cyclone Nine forms, could become Hurricane Helene. Florida residents should prepare
Invest 97L developed into Tropical Cyclone Nine Monday morning, and it’s expected to strengthen further into a tropical depression later Monday evening.
Tropical Cyclone Nine is expected to make landfall as a Category 2 or Category 3 hurricane Thursday evening, according to the latest information from AccuWeather. Florida Panhandle and Big Bend residents should already be preparing for the storm as it is expected to rapidly intensify.
“Its impacts will likely extend well beyond its center, along the northeast Gulf Coast,” said DeSantis in the release. “There is a significant threat of storm surge, coastal flooding and erosion, heavy rainfall and flash flooding, and damaging winds to the Florida Gulf Coast,” he continued.
Right now, Tropical Cyclone Nine is 130 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman and about 350 miles south-southeast of the western tip of Cuba. The tropical cyclone is moving north at 6 mph.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida declares state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Helene
Source Agencies
