Florida’s Gulf Coast is bracing for the potential of a significant hurricane landfall later this week, as a possible tropical storm that could ultimately become Hurricane Helene is organizing in the Caribbean.
The Gulf Coast is bracing for the potential of a significant hurricane landfall just three days from now, as what will likely become a tropical storm — and then potentially — is organizing in the Caribbean Sea.
The National Hurricane Center labeled a tropical disturbance southwest of the Cayman Islands as Potential Tropical Cyclone #9 Monday morning. Although the storm has not yet officially formed, attaching this label allows forecasters to issue an official forecast track as well as watches and warnings for the system.
The storm is poorly organized Monday afternoon, with its low-level center currently displaced from the mid-level swirl. The system is expected to become more vertically stacked and organize quickly on Tuesday, when it will likely become Tropical Storm Helene.
Tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches are in effect for portions of western Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico as the storm strengthens further by the middle of the week. Those with travel plans to Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel are urged to check with their carriers and consider altering their plans.
