Impacts to Central Florida as Helene strengthens, makes landfall (2025)

DEAL. THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER JUST RELEASED THE NEW UPDATE FOR HURRICANE HELENE AS IT MOVES OFF THE YUCATAN AND INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL IN THE BIG BEND REGION TOMORROW EVENING, BUT WE ARE ALREADY SEEING THE OUTER BANDS WRAP INTO FLORIDA. IF YOU’VE SEEN RAIN TODAY, THAT’S WHAT THAT IS. FIRST, WARNING METEOROLOGIST CAM TRAN AND CHIEF METEOROLOGIST TONY MAINOLFI ARE BOTH TRACKING HELENE FOR US GUYS. WE JUST GOT THAT 5 P.M. ADVISORY. SOME CHANGES IN THERE, SOME BIG CHANGES, MOSTLY CATEGORY FOUR BY THURSDAY, 2 P.M. YES, WE ARE NOW EXPECTING WINDS OF 130MPH AS A CAT FOUR BY THURSDAY AT 2:00 TOMORROW. AND THEN STILL BEING A HURRICANE FAR INLAND EVEN TO SOUTH GEORGIA. COLUMBUS, GEORGIA. THAT’S VERY RARE TO HAVE A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE THAT FAR INTO GEORGIA. TWO THINGS ARE GOING TO HELP THAT HAPPEN. STRONGER STORM AND THE FORWARD SPEED. THE FAST FORWARD SPEED. EXACTLY, EXACTLY IS THIS GOING TO GET ANY STRONGER AS IT MOVES CLOSER TO TALLAHASSEE, OR IS CAT FOUR WHERE DO YOU WHERE DO YOU THINK IT WILL STAY? SO THE CAT FOUR WILL SHOW THE CONE HERE IN A SECOND. THE CAT FOUR IF YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THERE, THERE’S STILL A LITTLE BIT OF REAL ESTATE THAT’S WHY I’M ASKING. THAT’S A GREAT OBSERVATION AS A AS A VIEWER THERE AT HOME, YOU PROBABLY HAD THAT SAME THOUGHT IN YOUR MIND. SO I’M GLAD YOU SAID THAT. MICHELLE. IT DOES. YOU KNOW WE I SHOWED THE SAFFORD SIMPSON SCALE THERE EARLIER, YOU KNOW, 129 IS CAT FOUR. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE NEXT STEP UP, 156 WOULD BE CAT FIVE. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE A CAT FIVE. I WOULD BE SHOCKED IF IT’S CAT FIVE. IT COULD BE A STRONGER CAT FOR A STRONGER CAT. EXACTLY. BUT YOU KNOW, HERE’S THE DEAL. WHETHER YOU HAVE A THREE, 4 OR 5, IT’S A MAJOR HURRICANE. YOU GOT TO GET OUT OF HARM’S WAY. THE SURGE IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK. THE GOOD NEWS IS, IN THAT AREA, IT’S NOT AS POPULATED AS, LET’S SAY, FORT MYERS, PORT CHARLOTTE, OVER TOWARDS THE TAMPA BAY AREA. IT’S NOT GOOD, BUT IT’S BETTER THAN BEING IN A LOCATION WHERE IT’S HIGHLY POPULATED. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH, YEAH. AND THE BAD SIDE OF THIS, BECAUSE THE FAST FORWARD SPEED THAT TONY WAS MENTIONING EARLIER, YOU’RE GOING TO SEE THE IMPACTS EVEN FARTHER INLAND. NOW. I MEAN, CAT ONE HURRICANE IN SOUTH GEORGIA, I MEAN, THAT’S THAT’S HUGE. DOES THIS CHANGE ANYTHING FOR US HERE? NO, NO, WE’RE STILL GOING TO SEE IMPACTS. AND WE’LL TALK ABOUT THAT. AND YEAH LET’S LET’S GET RIGHT INTO THAT NOW. AND JUST KIND OF GET MOVING ALONG HERE. THERE’S A THERE’S THE 5:00 UPDATE FOR THOSE OF YOU GETTING HOME. THE WINDS ARE NOW AT 85. WE’RE SEEING THAT SLOW GRADUAL CLIMB HERE. BUT I THINK AS THIS SYSTEM PULLS AWAY OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS, I THINK THAT INTENSIFICATION IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE A BIT QUICKER. AND AS WE CHARGE ON INTO 2:00 TOMORROW, ALMOST DUE WEST OF THE TAMPA BAY AREA, WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE HURRICANE, A LARGE HURRICANE, AND YOU CAN SEE IT’S BEEN VERY CONSISTENT. THE THE TRENDS AND THE TRACKS HAVE NOT CHANGED. THIS AFTERNOON, POINTING RIGHT TOWARDS THE BIG BEND NEAR APALACHICOLA BAY AND APALACHICOLA ITSELF. AND EVEN THOUGH IT’S A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES TO THE WEST OF ORLANDO AND JACKSONVILLE AND OVER TOWARDS PALM COAST, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ALL ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA. I WANT TO SHOW YOU THE SPAGHETTI PLOTS, RIGHT DEAD SMACK IN THAT CONE. THERE’S 830, 9:00, MAYBE TEN COMING ASHORE RIGHT THERE INTO THE PANHANDLE, APALACHICOLA, TALLAHASSEE GOING TO TAKE THE BRUNT OF THE WINDS, NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. ONCE IT MAKES LANDFALL AS YOU CAN SEE, THE WINDS BEGIN TO SUBSIDE. SO THE LATEST HURRICANE ADVISORIES AND TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS, ALL OF CENTRAL FLORIDA IS IN A TROPICAL STORM WARNING. AND THE POINT WITH THIS CONE IS THAT LOOK AT HOW FAR SOUTH AND EAST AND NORTH AND EAST OF THIS CONE. WE’RE GOING TO SEE THOSE IMPACTS. A LOT OF PEOPLE TEND TO FOCUS IN ON THE CONE. IF YOU’RE NOT IN THE CONE, YOU THINK YOU’RE SAFE. THAT’S CLEARLY NOT THE CASE. AND THIS IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF THAT. RIGHT? TALLAHASSEE APALACHICOLA 110 PLUS MILE AN HOUR WINDS EXPECTED HERE. THERE’S GOING TO BE SIGNIFICANT POWER OUTAGES OVER THAT WAY. ALL OF CENTRAL FLORIDA AT ONE POINT OR TWO EXPERIENCED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS COULD EVEN BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER. NUDGING TOWARDS HURRICANE FORCE GUSTS INTO WESTERN MARION COUNTY, WHERE THERE IS A HURRICANE WARNING. THERE’S A THE SIZE OF THE STORM 653 MILES. THAT’S NOT SAYING THE WINDS ARE THAT WIDE. IT’S SAYING YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE HIGH, THIN CIRRUS CANOPY. THAT’S HOW WIDE THAT STORM IS. LET ME SHOW YOU THE LATEST RADAR. THE BANDS ARE GETTING STRONGER AND STRONGER DOWN TO THE SOUTH. AS THE STORM LIFTS UP, THERE’S GOING TO BE A GREATER RISK. NOW FOR THESE SQUALLS TO BECOME