Hurricane Season 2024

While most people are running from the dangers created by the massive Hurricane Helene, there are those who steer themselves into harm's way.While they aren't actually putting human lives in danger, the folks at Saildrone are putting their assets on the line by sailing equipment into the teeth of raging storms for their 2024 Hurricane Mission.

The potential for tropical storm and possibly higher force winds, storm surge and other aspects of a tropical disturbance currently moving through the Caribbean now as Hurricane Helene has prompted a number of Southwest Florida communities to issue various warnings.The U.S. Postal Service suspended mail delivery until further notice across a wide swatch of Southwest Florida, Saint Petersburg to Marco Island.Southwest Florida under a tornado watch until 6 a.m. Friday

The warm Gulf of Mexico will be prime fuel before landfall and not much wind shear to keep this system from intensifying.

The next 24 hours will include Helene intensifying to a major category hurricane. Impacts will spread for hundreds of miles away from its center

Hurricane Helene could cause $3 billion to $6 billion in private insurance losses and as much as $1 billion in losses in federal flood-insurance and crop-insurance programs, according to an analysis Wednesday by the global reinsurance broker Gallagher Re.The analysis came as Helene is expected Thursday night to slam into North Florida as a major hurricane, after whipping up heavy storm surge in coastal communities as it races through the Gulf of Mexico.

Helene is expected to grow in size and strength. Here is what you need to know to prepare for the system as it rapidly approaches Florida.

Helene is set to become a major hurricane once it travels over the eastern Gulf of Mexico with lIfe-threatening storm surge for parts of the west coast of Florida and Big Bend.

PTC 9 is set to become Tropical Storm Helene as it moves closer to the Gulf of Mexico through Tuesday morning. It will pick up speed but also strength before hitting Florida.

Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Sarasota and Manatee counties are in an area with 37 other Florida counties now considered for a state of emergency due to Potential Tropical Cyclone 9.That designation was made as part of an executive order issued Monday by Governor Ron DeSantis ahead of the storm.Meanwhile, across the state, counties are making auxiliary plans for the any effects from passage of the potential storm.

The National Hurricane Center determined that a low-pressure system had finally formed over the Western Caribbean. Now we can start discussing its development and chances to impact Florida.