As forecasters watch potential Hurricane Helene, what to expect in South Florida this week
South Florida will likely be out of the cone of concern for a tropical system that could morph into Hurricane Helene by the latter part of the week, but forecasters say people can expect the region’s rainy season to be even wetter starting Wednesday as the system makes its way north through the Gulf of Mexico.
What forecasters are now calling “potential tropical cyclone 9” is expected to make a northeast turn Wednesday morning as it passes in between Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, possibly hitting Florida’s Panhandle and Big Bend region as a category 2 hurricane, according to the National Weather Service.
READ MORE: Florida’s Gulf Coast could see a Cat 2 hurricane this week. Helene close to forming
Forecasters on Monday said they expect the center of the storm to remain far enough away off Florida’s Gulf Coast from South Florida to keep major hurricane conditions from impacting the region.
“The southeast coast is definitely looking like the best place to be,” National Weather Service Meteorologist George Rizzuto said Monday.
That said, heavier-than-normal rains, winds and thunderstorms from the system should be anticipated from Broward County down through the Florida Keys, Rizzuto said.
Between Wednesday and Saturday morning, total rainfall is expected to range from 3 to 5 inches, with possible isolated tornadoes, Rizzuto said. Rain accumulation could be higher in specific local areas, he added.
“The main story here is going to be the rainfall,” said Rizzuto.
And although the Keys are also expected to be out of the direct path of the system for now, Gov. Ron DeSantis did include Monroe County among the 41 counties included in the state of emergency that he declared Monday.
Jonathan Rizzo, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service Key West, said that “it is too early to discuss the specific level of potential impacts in the Florida Keys” until a well-defined center of circulation forms.
He added the Keys could see high winds, including possibly damaging gusts in “thundery squalls,” as well as saltwater and rainfall flooding.
“These impacts are most likely to occur over the late Tuesday night through Friday morning time frame, with the greatest potential for impacts late Wednesday through Thursday,” Rizzo said.
This story was originally published September 23, 2024 at 5:02 PM.
