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Hurricane Helene timeline: When and where is Helene projected to make landfall in Florida?

By
Updated  September 25, 2024 3:31pm EDT
Hurricane Helene
FOX 35 Orlando

Stream FOX 35 News

Helene intensified into a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday and is expected to strengthen to possibly a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) before making landfall in Florida's Big Bend Region, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Where is Hurricane Helene right now?

Hurricane Helene is moving into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. It was located 110 miles from Cozumel, Mexico, and 480 miles from Tampa, Florida, the NHC said in its 2 p.m. advisory on Wednesday. 

The storm is traveling north-northwest at 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

MORE | Live updates: Major hurricane expected to slam Florida's Big Bend region

When will Hurricane Helene reach Florida?

Helene is expected to make a turn toward the north and increase in forward speed later today through Thursday, bringing the storm's center over the eastern Gulf of Mexico and to the Florida Big Bend coast by Thursday evening. 

According to the latest data, landfall is expected between the hours of 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday. However, the NHC said it is still too soon to pinpoint an exact location and time, since track forecasts can be off by an average of 60 nm at the 36-hour forecast time.

RELATED | Hurricane Helene: Airline travel advisories, flight delays, cancellations; what to know

After making landfall, Helene is expected to weaken, however, due to the storm's size, speed, and strength, strong, damaging winds are possible for much of the inland southeastern United States. 

See the latest forecast track for Hurricane Helene below:

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Hurricane Helene: What impacts can Florida expect?

Hurricane Helene is projected to bring life-threatening storm surge along the west coast of the Florida Peninsula and the Big Bend Region. The storm will also produce devastating hurricane-force winds and potentially life-threatening flash flooding and urban flooding across parts of north Florida.

Below are the potential storm impacts that will be felt in Central Florida:

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More radar maps from FOX 35 Storm Tracker Radar

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