Hurricane Helene live updates: How storm is affecting schools, flights, Florida weather
Here’s what to know about Hurricane Helene in Florida on Thursday. This live updates report will be updated throughout the day.
Top stories from Hurricane Helene
▪ Hurricane Helene strengthens to Category 3, en route to make landfall Thursday night in the Gulf Coast region along Florida’s Big Bend at or near the state capital as a Cat 3 with major storm surge of around 20 feet in some areas. Minutes after the 2 p.m. National Hurricane Center advisory winds had climbed to 120 mph to hit the new threshold. Helene was about 195 miles southwest of Tampa but its winds extended outward up to 345 miles from the center.
▪ South Florida feeling wind gusts greater than 60 mph, with the strongest so far at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
▪ Helene one of the largest Gulf Coast storms in decades. “The system could stretch more than 400 miles across by Thursday afternoon when its center is expected to pass about 125 miles off the coast of Tampa Bay toward landfall in the Panhandle,” Tampa Bay Times reports.
READ MORE: When and where will Hurricane Helene hit land in Florida? What to know about arrival
Tampa Bay bridge closes
Sunshine Skyway Bridge that connects Manatee County with Tampa and St. Petersburg closed temporarily around 1:30 p.m. Thursday when wind gusts hit 60 mph, the Bradenton Herald reported.
What happened in the Keys?
The system stayed almost 300 miles from the Island chain as it moved north. But Helene’s a blowsy broad mass so there was some flooding from storm surge at the Instagram hotspot Southernmost Point as well as at Elizabeth Street and Eisenhower Drive. South Roosevelt Boulevard and Atlantic Boulevard were closed and are expected to reopen later Thursday.
KNOW MORE: How did the Florida Keys get through Hurricane Helene? ‘It’s all starting to recede now’
Where is Jim Cantore?
If Weather Channel star Jim Cantore is in your town, this is not cause for celebration. He’s in Florida Thursday. Find out where at the link. He was in Tallahassee earlier in the day with wise advice. Don’t stick around for a chat. “All of your preparations should be done,” he said. “If you were asked to evacuate, I hope you have.”
Are supermarkets, malls and pharmacies open?
In South Florida, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Aldi and all the other supermarkets are open as usual. So are malls and shopping centers including Aventura, Dadeland, The Falls and Sawgrass. Walgreens and CVS are open. So are big-box stores Target and Walmart.
Stores in affected areas on the Gulf Coast and in the Panhandle may be closed or with modified hours. For instance, Thursday morning 65 Publix stores were listed under modified hours — many of them in the Tallahassee area and a couple not far from Tampa such as Bokeelia and Spring Hill.
School shutdowns
Given the potential for tropical storm-force winds and flooding rain bands in South Florida some schools closed Thursday.
Closed Thursday:
▪ Broward County Public Schools.
▪ Monroe County Schools.
▪ Florida Atlantic University.
▪ The College of the Florida Keys.
▪ University of Florida.
▪ University of Central Florida.
Open Thursday:
▪ Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Outdoor athletics canceled.
▪ University of Miami. All campuses, classes, indoor events and clinical activities are on. Outdoor events rescheduled.
▪ Florida International University. All functioning normally, says spokeswoman Maydel Santana.
Airports and travel
Are Florida airports open? Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports are open Thursday.
Orlando International, Jacksonville International, Southwest International airports are open.
Tampa International, Tallahassee International, St. Pete-Clearwater International are closed Thursday.
Cancellations and delays locally:
At Miami International Airport as of 3 p.m. on Thursday, 44 arrivals and 40 departures were canceled due to Helene.
The airport has stayed open and is operating at full capacity. Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department said MIA should remain open Thursday night and into Friday morning and day. Flights would only get suspended by the FAA if sustained winds reach 55 mph, Chin said. “Winds are not forecast to reach anywhere near that here,” he said.
.Earlier in the day several flights to cities in Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean and the East Coast were affected. Three departures to Cuba were also delayed.
At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 27 arrivals and 26 departures were expected to be canceled as of 9:30 a.m., said spokeswoman Arlene Satchell. Places affected include Montreal, Nassau and Punta Cana.
FLL also expects 15 delays: 5 arrivals and 10 departures. Affected cities include Atlanta, New York City, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.
Satchell said in addition to Helene, other factors such as aircraft issues and air traffic control could be contributing. She also recommended travelers check with their airlines for the most up-to-date flight status before heading to the airport.
— VINOD SREEHARSHA
Watch live streams
Live stream cameras along Florida beaches are capturing the major storm’s impacts along the Gulf Coast.
Potential damage
What can a storm the size of Helene do to Florida? A Cat 3 hurricane, as Helene is forecast to be when it makes landfall somewhere near the Panhandle, can be strong enough to blow in the door of a building or rip the siding from a house.
This story was originally published September 26, 2024 at 10:58 AM.
