Hurricane Helene will likely form by Wednesday morning as it moves past the western tip of Cuba and the northeastern tip of the Cancun peninsula. From here, Hurricane Helene will continue to strengthen as it moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order for Tropical Cyclone Nine, declaring a state of emergency in 41 Florida counties ahead of the storm. The National Hurricane Center has upgraded the storm system in the Caribbean to Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine.

Tropical Storm Helene promised to become a hurricane on Wednesday as it rapidly intensified in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, threatening to bring life-threatening storm surge to Florida within the next two days.