RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Tropical Storm Helene formed in the western Caribbean Sea Tuesday morning, but could be a major hurricane Thursday when it makes landfall in Florida.
Helene continued to strengthen Tuesday night with sustained winds up to 50 miles per hour with gusts up to 65 mph. It's moving to the WNW at 12 mph around a mid-level area of high pressure.
According to the National Hurricane Center, it will strengthen into a major hurricane Thursday before pushing north into the southeast, bringing heavy rain to North Carolina late Thursday into Friday.
On Tuesday, Hurricane Hunter Aircraft found Helene to be stronger and better organized will a closed center of circulation that it had been lacking. It will move into the southern Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday, where it will rapidly intensify as it moves north towards the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend area. The rapid intensification will be aided by very warm waters and low upper-level wind shear.
The exact landfall point is unclear at this point, but most forecast guidance has the core of the storm coming ashore somewhere between Tampa and Pensacola. Hurricane, Tropical Storm, and Storm Surge Watches Watches extend down Florida's west coast, meaning conditions will worsen within the next 48 hours.
A storm surge of 10-15 feet is possible between the Big Bend and areas just north of Tampa.
North Carolina Impacts
The center of future hurricane Helene will push into Georgia, South Carolina, and western North Carolina, where the heaviest rain and strongest winds will be late Thursday into Friday. Rainfall totals over the southern Appalachians could be between 5" and 10".
Central North Carolina rainfall totals could be between 1" and 3" inches of rain and lower amounts toward the coast.
Of course, exact rainfall totals will come into better focus as we get closer, but there's high confidence that Helene will be a significant rainmaker for the North Carolina mountains. Keep in mind impacts extend hundreds of miles outside of the center of a tropical system, especially one as large as Helene is forecast.
Wind gusts up to 30 mph could lead to isolated to scattered power outages on Friday. Helene will move north toward the Ohio Valley.
Stay with the CBS 17 Storm Team for the latest as we track this tropical system this week.