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The National Hurricane Center's computer modeling, which ensures such storms don't sneak up on anyone, predicts Helene will make landfall as a potent cyclone in Florida's Big Bend region on Thursday. But the impacts of such a sprawling storm will be widespread, including in areas like Tampa, which will see strong winds and some five to eight feet of storm surge.
"Helene is expected to rapidly intensify and grow in size over the eastern Gulf of Mexico," the center wrote on Sept. 25. "There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula and Panhandle."
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Watch for guidance from local National Weather Service offices and other relevant agencies for updates and evacuation information.
For those in the Tampa region or interested in the storm's impacts there, you can watch on the webcams below.
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Though a number of factors influence the formation of strong hurricanes (a lack of opposing winds that can break apart storms, moist air, etc.), a vital influence is warm sea surface temperatures of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). Warm oceans act as jet fuel for hurricanes, storm scientists explain. That's because warmer oceans fuel tropical storms as more water naturally evaporates into the air, giving storms energy and moisture to intensify.
Today, Atlantic hurricanes are already twice as likely to develop from a milder storm into a major hurricane.
Tampa Bay Riverfront webcam
Siesta Key Beach
Clearwater Beach Hilton
Clearwater Beach Cam
And remember, as you're watching the slightly shifting track updates of Hurricane Helene, the track forecast cone is not an impacts cone. For example, regions far north of landfall — like in parts of Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas — will see extreme deluges of rain and flooding.
"Make sure to stay up to date with the latest forecast as we move throughout the event at http://hurricanes.gov," the hurricane center emphasizes.