Hurricane Helene Projected to Hit Florida as Cat 4

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Hurricane Helene approaches Florida for a potentially catastrophic landfall late Thursday. Meteorologists at AccuWeather warn of life-threatening conditions and widespread destruction. The storm is expected to intensify rapidly into a major hurricane, potentially reaching Category 4 statu, with maximum sustained winds of 130-156 mph while over the Gulf of Mexico. The storm's formidable strength poses a grave danger, particularly from storm surge and powerful winds, which could inflict severe damage on coastal communities. Coastal residents must prepare for extreme threats to life and property.

Posted by retort at 10:27 AM | 21 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

Alternate links: Google News | Twitter

Comments

Admin's note: Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

Stay safe flatlanders.

#1 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2024-09-26 11:18 AM | Reply

Wasn't this storm being -------- as a nothing burger? Why did Disantis declare an emergency?

#2 | Posted by mattm at 2024-09-26 11:21 AM | Reply

Why did Disantis declare an emergency?

Ka-Ching!!!

#3 | Posted by REDIAL at 2024-09-26 11:25 AM | Reply

It's wobbling now, poorly formed with little eye, and now expected to be a Cat 3 at landfall, and it has yet to intensify... although all that could still change.

#4 | Posted by Corky at 2024-09-26 12:14 PM | Reply

And next week we'll, yet again, be inundated with calls for charitable donations to help people rebuild after their homes get flattened.

Again.

Didn't this area get hammered by Michael not that long ago?

Oh, and just a year ago ...

www.wuft.org

Now they're gonna get what's being called "unsurvivable storm surge" ...

Stop rebuilding this ----. Enough is enough.

#5 | Posted by jpw at 2024-09-26 12:16 PM | Reply

From now on, if a place looks like this after a storm ...

en.m.wikipedia.org(181011-G-G0105-1008A).jpg

The only expenditure is to remove the debris and house slabs.

Give it back to nature and the sea.

#6 | Posted by jpw at 2024-09-26 12:34 PM | Reply

upload.wikimedia.org

#7 | Posted by jpw at 2024-09-26 12:34 PM | Reply

I agree jpw. we need to stop paying to rebuild these places that have already been knocked down half a dozen times. move somewhere habitable!

#8 | Posted by Alexandrite at 2024-09-26 12:39 PM | Reply

All them red states gonna be lining up for that FEMA socialism real soon.

#9 | Posted by Nixon at 2024-09-26 12:43 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

I've got family all over the state; family in Clearwater is planning to ride out the storm at home but other from the tallahassee area have already evacuated to Jacksonville area. Down here in Fort Lauderdale we're not expecting a hard hit and I'm staying put. We have steel shutters for every window and my condo is about 12 ft. above the ground so flooding is not a concern. Funny though, our power was off for about 3 hours. I hope everyone in the path of this storm stays safe.We learned years ago with Hurricane Andrew these storms ca be very unpredictale and they can increase i strength very quickle and not follow the predicted path so be prepared!

#10 | Posted by danni at 2024-09-26 12:56 PM | Reply

Lots of rain and wind across the Glades all the way to the Keys. These are outer bands, and they're strong and steady 300 miles away from the advancing storm. So if you're anywhere along the projected track, it's for real.

#11 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2024-09-26 01:01 PM | Reply

All them red states gonna be lining up for that FEMA socialism real soon.

#9 | POSTED BY NIXON

Billionaire Trumpy is very concerned. He is sending a rake and a roll of paper towels.

#12 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-09-26 01:28 PM | Reply

Thoughts and prayers for all the trailer park morons who keep electing climate change deniers

#13 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2024-09-26 01:47 PM | Reply

I wanna say who in their right mind would wanna live in Americas --------? But my real father came from Panama City. So I guess I can't. Except as far I remember he never was in his right mind. He left us when I was 4.

Dang it. Ya'll gather up your supplies and batten the hatches and tighten the sails and get ready. Be wise. Be safe! And protect your soft parts.

You are about to be kicked in the nuts.

#14 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-09-26 02:20 PM | Reply

www.upi.com

... Hurricane Helene will continue to strengthen as it heads toward landfall in Florida's Big Bend area Thursday night. It could become a major Category 4 hurricane.

In its 3 p.m. EDT update, the National Hurricane Center said Helene was about 160 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Fla., and 195 miles south of Apalachicola, Fla., carrying maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. It was traveling north-northeast at 16 mph. ...

#15 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-09-26 03:43 PM | Reply

It could become a major Category 4 hurricane.

It is now officially a Cat 4 storm.

#16 | Posted by tonyroma at 2024-09-26 06:29 PM | Reply

@#16 ... It is now officially a Cat 4 storm. ...

Oh, that ain't good.

Hopefully, the good people of Florida have been listening to their local governments...

#17 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-09-26 06:51 PM | Reply

It's about 100 miles sw of me, headed to a point halfway between Perry and Tallahassee.

We'll get a few hours of rain and wind from the band moving through around 8 or 9 PM.

#18 | Posted by Corky at 2024-09-26 07:07 PM | Reply

@#17 ... Hopefully, the good people of Florida have been listening to their local governments... ...

Along those lines. ... (unfortunately....)

Florida police give morbid advice to those who didn't evacuate for Helene's historic storm surge
www.foxweather.com

... The Taylor County Sheriff's Office in the Big Bend of Florida is taking the dire step of asking residents who chose not to heed mandatory evacuation warnings for Hurricane Helene to write their name and other identifying information in permanent marker on their arms or legs for ease of identification should you become a victim.

Taylor County is under a Hurricane Warning and Storm Surge Warning with up to 20 feet of storm surge expected, according to the National Hurricane Center. Those storm surge levels would be historic and what the NWS in Tallahassee called "catastrophic and potentially unsurvivable." ...

#19 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-09-26 07:19 PM | Reply

One thing about Florida, large areas of Florida are not that far about sea level.

When a family member of mine was living in St Pete, the living floor of his apartment was 10 feet above mean high tide (btw, curious that he knew that).

OK, looking at a topographical map of Taylor County, a good part of that county seems to be less than a couple three meters above sea level.

A couple three meters is about 7 to 10 feet.

So... a 20 foot storm surge?

#20 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-09-26 07:30 PM | Reply

Hurricane Helene could rewrite storm history in the South
www.axios.com

... Hurricane Helene threatens homes and lives throughout an unimaginably large triangle of the American South, from the southern tip of Florida, north to the South Carolina coast, and west to eastern Arkansas.

Why it matters: A direct hit for the Florida Gulf Coast. Potential hurricane-force winds in Atlanta. Tornado threats in Charleston, SC and Charlotte, NC. Historic rainfall and flooding for Asheville and other beloved Appalachian Mountain destinations. Flood watches through Nashville and all the way across the Mississippi River into Arkansas. ...

#21 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-09-26 07:35 PM | Reply