Washington: Hurricane Helen has reached the Category 4 dangerous level. After this, a state of emergency has been declared in many southeastern American areas. Meanwhile the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts Atlantic hurricane season numbers will be above average this year due to record-warm ocean temperatures. Helene is predicted to be one of the largest hurricanes to hit the region in years.
Hurricane Helene has intensified into a Category 4 hurricane as it heads toward Florida's northwest coast, bringing with it the possibility of catastrophic damage, according to forecasters. There is a possibility of a large scale storm soon. After landfall, much of the Southeastern United States is expected to face a “nightmare” storm, with damaging winds and heavy rainfall, he said. Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1.
Winds can blow at a speed of 215 kilometers per hour
The storm is currently located about 195 kilometers west of Tampa, with sustained winds of 215 km/h, according to the US National Hurricane Center. The storm has already knocked out power to more than 250,000 homes and businesses in Florida, Poweroutage.us reports. Now this will cause huge damage in the Big Bend area of Florida. During this period, deadly waves up to a height of 6 meters are expected. Hurricane and flash flood warnings have been issued for a wide swath of the region, stretching from the coast of Florida to northern Georgia and western North Carolina. Governors in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have declared states of emergency to mobilize resources and prepare for severe impacts. Widespread power outages, downed trees and damaged infrastructure are expected as the storm approaches, and residents have been urged to take immediate precautions.
devastation in florida
These tropical storm-force winds began wreaking havoc in Florida on Thursday, as Hurricane Helene prepared to make landfall. Forecasters have warned that the massive storm could create a “nightmare” along the coast and send damaging winds hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern US. The wrath of the storm started being felt from Thursday afternoon itself. A road at the northern tip of Siesta Key near Sarasota was flooded and some intersections in St. Pete Beach along Florida's Gulf Coast were covered. Wood and other debris from the Cedar Key fire a week ago were falling onto the shore due to rising waters. Winds reaching up to 205 km per hour have already left about 180,000 homes and businesses without power in Florida.
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