Staff Report
As of Monday afternoon, it was Tropical Cyclone 9.
It soon could become Tropical Storm Helene on Tuesday, and the National Hurricane Center projected landfall Thursday in an area stretching from Tampa through the Florida Panhandle as a 110-mph Category 2 hurricane.
But the NHC notes that the storm could grow to a major hurricane of Category 3 ahead of reaching the shallow waters of Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The prediction led Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency in 41 counties including as far west as Escambia in the Panhandle to Monroe County at the southern tip of the state.
This story will be updated throughout the week at our website, thewakullasun.com.
