Forecasters Are Worried About Potential Tropical Storm 9

A storm in the early stages of development in the western Caribbean Sea off the coast of Honduras is currently a disorganized mass of thunderstorms called Potential Tropical Storm Nine, but forecasters expect it to slam into Florida later this week as Hurricane Helene. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 41 of the state’s 67 counties on Monday, CNN reports. Landfall in Florida could happen as soon as Thursday evening, forecasters say. The storm “is likely to become a major hurricane prior to landfall along the NE Gulf Coast,” the National Weather Service’s Tallahassee office said in a post on X. “This will be a large system, and impacts will extend far from the center.”

“While the spread in potential tracks has lessened compared to this point 24 hours ago, a range of landfall locations from the Florida Panhandle to the Peninsula of Florida are still on the table,” forecasters in Tallahassee said, per the New York Times. The National Hurricane Center said tropical storm watches have been issued in the Dry Tortugas and the lower Florida Keys. CNN reports that record-warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico are expected to “supercharge” the storm, which could become a Category 3 or higher by Wednesday. “What I don’t like is what I see in terms of rapid intensification, pressure, and the wind speeds that can be achieved by this storm,” says meteorologist Jeff Berardelli at WFLA.

In the Pacific Ocean, meanwhile, Hurricane John rapidly strengthened to a Category 2 storm on Monday and forecasters warned that it could be a Category 4 when it hits Mexico’s southern coast on Tuesday, the AP reports. The NHC predicted that it would make landfall near the resort town of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca state, reports Reuters. Laura Velazquez, the federal coordinator of civil protection, urged people in coastal cities in the state to go to shelters to “protect theirs and their family’s lives.” (More hurricane stories.)