Helene officially reached hurricane level with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph on Wednesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Helene, which formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, is set to make landfall along the northeast coast of the Gulf of Mexico late Thursday, and may reach Category 3, with winds of up to 120 mph, over the next 36 hours.

The greatest landfall probability is along the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle — including the Big Bend area — which will experience “life-threatening” storm surge, flooding rains and winds, the National Hurricane Center said.

“Everyone along the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region needs to be prepared for hurricane impacts,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva told the Tallahassee Democrat.

“AccuWeather expert meteorologists expect this to be a highly impactful storm,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter added. “This could be the storm that the 2024 hurricane season is remembered for.”

President Joe Biden already declared a federal state of emergency for the Sunshine State. On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a state of emergency declaration to 61 counties, CBS News reported.

There are also voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders in place in 13 counties.

The mandatory evacuation order included the University of Tampa, which ordered students to clear out by 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Residents in mobile homes, in particular, were urged to flee to more stable locations ahead of the storm.

“It is not safe [in mobile homes],” Florida Emergency Manager Kevin Guthrie said at a press conference, according to Florida Phoenix reporter Mitch Perry.

Helene is predicted to be especially large and fast-moving, meaning that storm surge, winds, and heavy rain will probably extend far from the storm’s center.

Georgia is also under a state of emergency, and states as far inland and Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee could experience Helene-related rainfall, CBS said.

Hal Summers of Mexico Beach told the outlet that he was taking extra precautions this time around after he and his parents both lost their homes in Hurricane Michael, the 2018 Category 5 storm that swept across the western Florida Panhandle.

Georgia is also under a state of emergency, and states as far inland and Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee could experience Helene-related rainfall, CBS said.

“That was such a traumatic experience that that is not the place I needed to be for myself,” said Summers, who recalled wading through the rising storm surge while holding his cat above his head.

Helene is closing in as the Florida Big Bend is still recovering from a string of recent hurricanes.

Hurricane Debby hit the region as a Category 1 storm in early August, and recovery efforts are still underway and the area prepares for Helene’s impact.

Idalia, a Category 3 hurricane, hit Florida’s west coast last year and generated a record-breaking storm surge from Tampa up through the Bid Bend.

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