The Gulf of Mexico is one giant travel mess, and experts say it’s about to get worse. Much worse.
Tropical Storm Helene has been upgraded to Hurricane Helene and is headed for northwest Florida. It's currently a Category 1 storm but could hit land as a Category 3 hurricane.
The storm was hovering offshore of Mexico’s Riviera Maya on the morning of 25SEP, and there were strong weather warnings out for Cancun, Cozumel and other popular tourist areas.
NBC News said officials in Mexico issued hurricane warnings for a large section of the Yucatán Peninsula, stretching from Tulum to Cabo Catoche.
"As of 11 a.m. ET today (25SEP), the storm has maximum sustained winds of 80 mph," the network said. "It's about 85 miles northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, moving northwest at 10 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. People in affected areas are being urged to prepare and several counties are under evacuation orders.
Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama announced later said the northern part of the state remains on Red Alert in the municipalities of Benito Juárez, Isla Mujeres, Lázaro Cárdenas,
Puerto Morelos and Cozumel. This alert requires residents to identify the nearest temporary shelter, store important documents in plastic bags, stockpile food and drinking water, and
keep emergency supplies readily available. The Municipalities of Solidaridad, Tulum and Felipe Carrillo Puerto are under an Orange Alert, while the southern part of the state (Othón
P. Blanco, Bacalar, José María Morelos) remain under a Blue Alert (minimal danger).
NBC said the Hurricane Center was calling the storm "a life-threatening situation."
Helene is expected to churn northwards towards the west coast of Florida on 25SEP and 26SEP.
“Thousands of Florida residents have been forced to evacuate as the state prepares for rapidly strengthening Tropical Storm Helene, which could bring powerful winds, flooding and life-threatening storm surge to areas already hard-hit by recent hurricanes. Helene is on track to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast – possibly in the Big Bend region – late Thursday and threatens to become the strongest storm to hit the United States in over a year,” CNN reports.
“There is a storm surge warning for the Florida Keys and almost the entirety of Florida's west coast, signaling life-threatening inundation over the next 36 hours, with surges expected to reach up to 15 feet,” NBC said. Heavy rainfall also is expected in the coming days across the Southeastern U.S.
Some forecasts suggest Helene might hit just north of Tampa, while other models indicate a path that would take the storm towards the less populated Big Bend area.
The Travelsavers Affluent Travelers Collection Symposium, is taking place on Marco Island, Florida from 24SEP to 26SEP. However, with the severity of the storm warnings, Travelsavers has announced the Travel Market conference, which was to follow the symposium, is being postponed until 2025.
CNN said Tampa General Hospital began erecting a 10-foot-high flood barrier to prepare for potential impacts.
Cedar Key, Florida, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Idalia last year and then last week witnessed a massive fire that destroyed two waterfront buildings, could be in for another major hit.
Cruise Industry News said Carnival Paradise and Carnival Valor both had their itineraries shifted because of the storm.
SeatradeCruise News said Carnival urged passengers with upcoming cruises in the area of Helene's projected path — including sailings from Port Tampa Bay and Jacksonville — to monitor emails and opt-in to text alerts. It also said Port Tampa Bay has already advised the cruise schedule for the next several days will be impacted.
As well, Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas replaced Cozumel with a call at Nassau, while Mariner of the Seas dropped Cozumel and added a sea day.
Meanwhile, Mexico News Daily reports that two people died on 24SEP after Hurricane John made landfall as a Category 3 storm in the state of Guerrero, near Oaxaca.
