Hurricane Helene tracker: When is storm projected to make landfall in Florida?

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Updated  September 26, 2024 6:18am EDT
FOX 35 Orlando

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ORLANDO, Fla. - Hurricane Helene intensified into a Category 2 storm on Thursday and is expected to strengthen to possibly a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) before it makes landfall in Florida's Big Bend, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Where is Hurricane Helene right now?

Hurricane Helene was 320 miles southwest of Tampa, and 365 miles south of Apalachicola, according to NHC's 8 a.m. Thursday update. The storm was moving north-northeast at 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. A Category 3 hurricane's wind speed ranges from 111-129 mph.

The minimum central pressure is 960 mb.

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

When will Hurricane Helene reach Florida?

Helene is expected to strengthen and increase in forward speed on Thursday morning, 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 6 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. 

Tracking Hurricane Helene: Latest path, cone towards Florida

More radar maps from FOX 35 Storm Tracker Radar

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