"Helene stands toe-to-toe with any of the threats that Florida has faced over the past ten years or indeed really over hurricane history."

Helene is forecast to rapidly intensify into a massive Category 3 hurricane, bringing “potentially catastrophic” wind and storm surge to the Big Bend.

Forecasters say they expect Tropical Storm Helene in the Caribbean Sea to strengthen rapidly and become a hurricane as it moves north across the Gulf of Mexico toward the United States.