Playhouse blown down Florida beach as Hurricane Helene approaches

FOX Weather Meteorologist Ian Oliver was reporting from a St. Petersburg beach when powerful winds sent a playhouse tumbling over the sand and surf. Wind gusts in St. Petersburg have exceed 50 mph. Sept. 26, 2024.

CHICAGO – Hurricane Helene is strengthening as it moves toward Florida, where it is expected to make landfall on Thursday.

Some residents are evacuating Florida ahead of the storm and relocating to Chicago.

We caught up with one passenger late Wednesday afternoon. Originally from Chicago, she now lives in Naples.

Donna Pecci has been traveling for business and just returned to O’Hare International Airport from Arkansas. She is visiting family in the area before attempting to get back to Florida.

So far, her flight is on schedule, but she is bracing for possible delays.

“We’re headed back to pick up our dog and supposedly, supposedly it’s supposed to be out tomorrow,” said Pecci. “We are getting a lot of alerts and a lot of people back home saying that we are definitely kind of in the line of fire. Definitely going to get a lot of storms, a lot of wind. We’ve been through this before. We’ve been down in Naples now for about three years, full-time, and six years, part-time. So, we’re kind of used to it, but it’s always scary.”

More passengers are expected to arrive at O’Hare from Florida; one flight is coming from Panama City and another from Pensacola.

MIAMI – South Florida first responders are heading north to the Big Bend area Wednesday as Tropical Storm Helene heads toward Florida.

The City of Miami Fire Rescue’s USAR Task Force (FL-TF2) consists of officers from several different agencies in the county.

Officials say they will go to areas that are at risk of being severely impacted by Helene, which is expected to hit northwest Florida as a major hurricane.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is forecast to be “near hurricane strength” when it passes near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula early Wednesday, and to “intensify and grow in size” as it moves north across the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rainfall was forecast for the southeastern U.S. starting Wednesday, with a “life-threatening storm surge” along the entire west coast of Florida, according to the center.

Helene is expected to become a major hurricane — a Category 3 or higher — on Thursday, the day it’s set to reach Florida’s Gulf Coast, according to the hurricane center.

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