Residents across the Gulf Coast want to know what time Hurricane Helene is likely to make landfall, especially in Florida where the center of the storm is projected to run through. The tropical storm is expected to develop into a powerful storm with “at least Category 3 intensity” according to weather experts, and The Weather Channel declared that it has already developed into a hurricane on Wednesday morning, September 25. The hurricane is projected to head over the United States on Thursday, so here’s around what time of day meteorologists say it will arrive.
When will Hurricane Helene hit Florida on Thursday?
Hurricane Helene will likely hit Florida Thursday night around 7:00 PM ET to 8:00 PM ET according to multiple projections on Wednesday, though it’s important to note that residents will experience strong winds, heavy rainfall, and possible storm surges from the storm hours before it makes landfall.
In addition to The Weather Channel saying that the hurricane will arrive on “Thursday night” after reaching its peak intensity in the eastern Gulf, the Tropical Cyclone Guidance Project has spaghetti models showing that the center of the storm will come close to the western Florida coastline in the evening.
Specifically, this is based on the models shown below for Tropical Storm Helene (or AL09) by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The cluster of white dots next to the Florida panhandle in the Gulf Coast mark when the data projects the storm will be 36 hours after 7:00 AM ET (12:00 UTC) on Wednesday, which translates to 7:00 PM ET Thursday. Meteorologists for WEAR ABC 3 project that it will make landfall at 8:00 PM ET.
This projection has actually been pushed forward from forecasts on Monday which originally said that the hurricane would possibly hit on Thursday afternoon. This gives residents in Florida more time to prepare for the oncoming storm, but this also means that it has more time to develop into a more intense hurricane. Accuweather’s hurricane expert Alex DaSilva stated that Hurricane Helene has “a shot to become a Category 4 hurricane before landfall.”
It is recommended that residents in Florida check evacuation zones in their district before the hurricane hits the state. A state of emergency has been declared in the state. At the time of writing, mandatory evacuation orders have been given to Charlotte County, Citrus County, Dixie County, Franklin County, Gulf County, Hillsborough County, Leon County, Madison County, Pasco County, Pinellas County, Sarasota County, Taylor County, and Wakulla County.
