Florida Braces for Fury: Hurricane Helen Surges to Category 4 as West Coast Awaits Landfall
Hurricane Helen Intensifies to Category 4 as it Approaches Florida’s West Coast
Hurricane Helen is accelerating as it approaches the west coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It has also become more powerful, reaching Category 4, the second from the top on a five-level scale.
It is expected to make landfall late on the 26th near St. Marks, Florida, about 20 miles (about 32.2 kilometers) south of Tallahassee. According to an announcement from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) as of 8pm ET on the same day (9am Japan time on the 27th), Helen’s maximum wind speed is 130 miles per hour, and it is likely that the winds will become even stronger in the future.
Forecasters say coastal areas of Florida could be hit by high waves and strong winds, and the Appalachian Mountains and Ohio Valley are also at risk of mudslides and flash flooding. According to the White House, President Biden has approved requests for emergency disaster declarations from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.
According to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach, based on storm area size, Helen will be the largest Gulf of Mexico hurricane to make landfall since Irma in 2017.
Updated with researcher’s comment