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The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported Thursday fast-moving Hurricane Helene is on course to hit northwestern Florida, where it is predicted to bring a catastrophic and deadly storm surge as high as six meters above ground level in some areas.
In its latest report, the hurricane center reported Helene to be about 585 kilometers south of Apalachicola, on the western edge of what is known as Florida's "Big Bend" area, where the state's coastline curves toward the west. On its current track, it is where the storm is predicted to make landfall late Thursday or early Friday.
Forecasters at the hurricane center said the Category Two storm currently has maximum sustained winds of about 155 kilometers per hour.
But the forecasters report Helene is moving through "an atmospheric and oceanic environment over the eastern Gulf of Mexico that is very conducive for strengthening." They predict it will be a major hurricane - a Category 3 storm on the scale of hurricane intensity - with winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour by the time it makes landfall.
The hurricane is forecast to be a large system when it reaches the Florida coast, and forecasters said the impact of storm surge, wind and rainfall will extend well away from the center of the storm, particularly to the east. Hurricane warnings are in effect for southern Georgia as well as most of northern Florida, and tropical storm warnings extend into the Carolinas.
Catastrophic and life-threatening flash floods and urban flooding are predicted and landslides are possible in higher elevations of rural areas.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency for nearly all of Florida's 67 counties, including Miami-Dade. He has mobilized the National Guard and positioned thousands of personnel to prepare for possible search and rescue operations and power restoration.
In a statement, The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed on the storm Wednesday, and his administration stands ready to provide further assistance to Florida and other states in Helene's path.
Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures.
The Atlantic's ninth named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Isaac, formed Wednesday night in the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane center reported it was expected to strengthen as it moves eastward, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.