Florida residents are bracing for yet another powerful tropical storm.
In what could be the United States’ heaviest-hitting hurricane so far this young season, an area of thunderstorms is gaining strength in the Caribbean Sea before potentially bringing life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds to the Southeast later this week.
According to meteorologists, the new system will likely pick up pace and is expected to intensify into Hurricane Helene before making an expected landfall in Florida, said the National Hurricane Center, which has dubbed it Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine as of today.
Reports today indicate that a hurricane watch is in effect for the Gulf Coast of Florida from Englewood to Indian Pass, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, the hurricane center said in a 5 a.m. update. A tropical storm watch is in place to the north and south of the hurricane watch area, from Indian Pass to the Walton-Bay County line and from north of Bonita Beach to Englewood.
A tropical storm watch was also issued for this afternoon for Florida’s Dry Tortugas and part of the Keys and Monday evening for Bonita Beach to Flamingo, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared an emergency for 41 the state’s 67 counties in an effort to expedite preparations and coordination between the state and local governments ahead of the storm’s impacts.
In preparation for the storm, Tampa General Hospital began building a 10-foot-high flood barrier around the facility yesterday in anticipation of the storm surge and shifts in the storm’s track.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates as the storm progresses.