Florida, Georgia Prepare For Hurricane Helene

3 weeks ago Helene has strengthened into a hurricane, and forecasters warn that the storm will intensify as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico on a path to Florida. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Wednesday that the hurricane is about 500 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, with sustained winds of 80 mph. Helene became a tropical storm Tuesday in the western Caribbean Sea and caused flooding in the Cayman Islands. Forecasters say it is expected to become a major hurricane with its center making landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida’s northwestern coast as soon as late Thursday. In the Pacific, former Hurricane John re-formed as a tropical storm Wednesday and threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast anew.