Live updates: Tropical Storm Helene forms, expected to hit Florida as major hurricane

Tropical Storm Helene formed on Tuesday morning over the northwestern Caribbean Sea, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. It is expected to rapidly intensify into a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall somewhere over Florida this week, according to the latest track and projections from the NHC.

TIMELINE: Helene to hit Florida as major hurricane; county-by-county impacts

The state of Florida is preparing for potential impacts from Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, which is expected to intensify and possibly reach major hurricane strength as it approaches the Gulf Coast on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. FOX 35 News has put together a county-by-county list of potential storm impacts for Orlando and the surrounding Central Florida region.