By Kate Payne and Heather Hollingsworth
Associated Press
CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. 鈥� Fast-moving was advancing Thursday across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, threatening a 鈥渃atastrophic鈥� storm surge in northwestern parts of the state as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S., forecasters said.
Helene was upgraded Thursday morning to a Category 2 storm and is expected to be a major hurricane 鈥� meaning a Category 3 or higher 鈥� when it makes landfall on Florida鈥檚 northwestern coast Thursday evening. Hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extended far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia. The governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have all declared emergencies in their states.
Rain was beginning to blow in the predawn darkness Thursday along coastal U.S. Highway 98, which winds through countless fishing villages and vacation hideaways along Florida鈥檚 Big Bend. Shuttered gas stations dotted the two-lane highway, their windows boarded up with plywood to protect from the storm.
The storm was expected to make landfall in the Big Bend region, where Florida鈥檚 panhandle and peninsula meet, according to Jack Beven, senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
鈥淩egardless of how strong it is, it is a very large storm,鈥� Beven said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to have impacts that cover a large area.鈥�
Mandatory stretched from the panhandle south along the Gulf Coast in low-lying areas around Tallahassee, Gainesville, Cedar Key, Lake City, Tampa and Sarasota.
The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee forecast of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and warned they could be particularly 鈥渃atastrophic and unsurvivable鈥� in Florida鈥檚 Apalachee Bay. It added that high winds and heavy rains also posed risks.
鈥淭his forecast, if realized, is a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,鈥� the office said. 鈥淧lease, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!鈥�
This stretch of Florida known as the Forgotten Coast has been largely spared by the widespread condo development and commercialization that dominates so many of Florida鈥檚 beach communities. The sparsely populated region is loved for its natural wonders 鈥� the vast stretches of salt marshes, tidal pools and barrier islands; the dwarf cypress trees of Tate鈥檚 Hell State Forest; and Wakulla Springs, considered one of the world鈥檚 largest and deepest freshwater springs.
Anthony Godwin, 20, found one gas station outside Crawfordville where the tanks were still running Thursday morning to fill up before heading west toward his sister鈥檚 house in Pensacola.
Godwin lives about a half-mile (about 800 meters) from the water in the coastal town of Panacea, and during , Godwin said the water came up to the end of the driveway of his family鈥檚 home when the storm surge reached about 12 feet (3.7 meters). This time, they鈥檙e bracing for much worse.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not really hopeful about it. We鈥檙e being realistic,鈥� Godwin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a part of life. You live down here, you run the risk of losing everything to a bad storm. It is what it is.鈥�
Along Florida鈥檚 Gulf Coast, school districts and multiple universities have cancelled classes.
Helene was about 320 miles (515 kilometers) southwest of Tampa on Thursday morning and moving north-northeast at 12 mph (19 kph) with top sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph). Forecasters said it should become a Category 3 or higher hurricane, meaning winds would top 110 mph (177 kph).
While Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, its 鈥渇ast forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States,鈥� including in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the hurricane center said. The center posted lesser tropical storm warnings as far north as North Carolina, and warned that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages, toppled trees and dangerous flooding.
Helene had swamped parts of Mexico鈥檚 Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun.
The storm . In Cuba, the government preventively shut off power in some communities as waves as high as 16 feet (5 meters) slammed Cortes Bay. And in the Cayman Islands, schools closed and residents pumped water from flooded homes.
Helene is forecast to be one of the largest storms in breadth in years to hit the region, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. He said since 1988, only three Gulf hurricanes were bigger than Helene鈥檚 predicted size: 2017鈥檚 Irma, 2005鈥檚 Wilma and 1995鈥檚 Opal.
Areas 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the Georgia-Florida line can expect hurricane conditions. More than half of Georgia鈥檚 public school districts and several universities canceled classes.
For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd.
Landslides were possible in southern Appalachia, and rainfall was expected as far away as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana.
Federal authorities have positioned generators, food and water, along with search-and-rescue and power restoration teams.
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 .
In further storm activity, Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic and was expected to strengthen as it moves eastward across the open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said. Isaac was about 690 miles (1,115 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda with top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), according to the hurricane center, which said its swells and winds could affect parts of Bermuda and eventually the Azores by the weekend.
In the Pacific, reformed Wednesday as a tropical storm and strengthened Thursday morning back into a hurricane as it threatened areas of Mexico鈥檚 western coast with flash flooding and mudslides. Officials posted hurricane warnings for southwestern Mexico.
John hit the country鈥檚 southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing at least two people, triggering mudslides, and damaging homes and trees. It in a matter of hours and made landfall east of Acapulco. It reemerged over the ocean after weakening inland.