National Hurricane Center forecasting the storm to rapidly intensify in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and strike Florida as a major Category 3 hurricane. As of the NHC’s 2 p.m. EDT advisory, Helene remained a Category 1 hurricane with 80 mph sustained winds about 110 miles north-northeast of Cozumel,

AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist, Jon Porter, predicts Helene could strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 130-156 miles per hour. “The impacts from Helene will be widespread — not just confined to locations near landfall in the Florida Panhandle,” Porter warned in a press release.

The National Hurricane Center projects that the storm will make landfall as a major hurricane along the Florida's Gulf Coast on Thursday.