Florida extended its state of emergency to 61 counties on Sept. 24, and Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that preparations were underway for the arrival of what could become Hurricane Helene.
Only just labeled Tropical Storm Helene by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in its 11 a.m. (ET) advisory update, the center predicted it would rapidly intensify and hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 3 Hurricane on Sept. 26.
Nearly all of the Florida Gulf Coast, from Mexico Beach to the Florida Keys, was already under a storm surge warning.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for Key West and the lower Keys, the Big Bend area is expected to receive 10–15 feet of storm surge, while Tampa Bay faces an expected five to eight feet of surge….