Major Storm Warning for Southeast US Amid Hurricane Watches
Parts of Cuba and Mexico are under a hurricane watch as a storm system is expected to intensify into a major hurricane in the next few days while moving north towards the southern coast of the United States, according to weather forecasters.
The system of showers and thunderstorms is projected to develop into Hurricane Helene by midweek as it heads towards the Gulf Coast of northern Florida, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.
"It could be a major hurricane when it reaches the northeastern Gulf Coast on Thursday," the NHC stated, with forecasts indicating maximum sustained winds of 177 km/h (110 mph). This would place Helene on the verge of becoming a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which classifies hurricanes based on sustained wind speeds.
As of Monday, the storm system was located approximately 205 kilometers (127 miles) south-southwest of Grand Cayman, with maximum sustained winds of 45 km/h (30 mph) and moving north at 9 km/h (6 mph).
A hurricane watch is currently in effect for Pinar del Rio province in eastern Cuba and parts of the Yucatan Peninsula in southeastern Mexico. The NHC has warned of heavy rainfall in western Cuba, the Cayman Islands, eastern Mexico, and the southeastern US starting on Wednesday, which could lead to flash and river flooding.
Additionally, storm surges of up to 1.2 meters (4 feet) are forecast for certain areas of Cuba and Mexico.
Helene would be the eighth named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, and the fourth to make landfall in the US. Two weeks ago, Hurricane Francine made landfall along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year due to record-warm ocean temperatures, forecasting 17 to 25 named storms, including four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher. However, the season has had a slow start, prompting forecasters to investigate factors that may be hindering the formation of major storms as they traverse the Atlantic "hurricane corridor."
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