I'm a meteorologist - here's why Storm Helene is causing 'tremendous' concern among experts

Of all storms to hit the US in recent years, Hurricane Helene is causing 'tremendous' concern among experts.

The storm was upgraded to a category one hurricane at the last minute today, meaning officials are scrambling to put safety measures and evacuation orders in place.

Residents were only given a little more than a days' notice about the hurricane, but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) typically issues a warning 36 hours in advance to give people enough time to prepare for the storm.

'The amount of damage will be tremendous,' Professor Pam Knox, from the University of Georgia told DailyMail.com. 

The hurricane is expected to batter Florida's west coast between 6 and 10pm ET on Thursday with winds will reach speeds of up to 125 miles per hour.

This is nearly twice as strong as the winds felt by Hurricane Debby which struck last month, causing an estimated $28 billion in damage and economic losses.

Hurricane Helene will stretch as far inland as Atlanta before traveling up the east coast to North and South Carolina, which hasn't been hit by a major hurricane in nearly three decades.

'The storm is intensifying rapidly and is also moving fast, so the strong winds around the storm will affect a larger area than usual,' Knox said. 

'It is also a very large storm, so the impacts will extend farther out from the center than they do in more compact storms. 

'The impacts will hit many places like Atlanta which don’t often get hit by winds and rain this extreme, so a lot of people will not be prepared for it.'

A category 4 hurricane or higher is certainly within the realm of possibility this week, meaning areas like Tallahassee in Florida could look very different on Friday morning.

There are roughly 32 million people already under a flood watch ranging from South Florida to Southern Virginia.

The force from the tropical winds is expected to reach more than 400 miles wide - twice the size of  Hurricane Debby and Hurricane Idalia which struck in August last year.

Hurricane Idalia was responsible for 12 deaths while Debby claimed the lives of 10 people.

Meteorologists are concerned that people in the impacted regions like Atlanta and the Carolinas aren't prepared for the storm because a category 3 or higher hurricane hasn't reached the area in decades.

The major area of concern will be Florida and Georgia, although states like Alabama and Tennessee - which aren't used to these storms - will also get hit with heavy winds, flash-flooding and power outages caused by downed trees and power lines.

The severity of the hurricane may cause normally dry areas to experience floods the likes of which they have never seen, including Ochlocknee River in southwest Georgia, which could see a flooding surge as high as 10 to 15 feet. 

The heavy rain can overwhelm the drainage and pump systems, leaving the water with nowhere to go and can leave people stranded for days and weeks until rescue personnel can get to the area.

'If you live along the coast, especially the Florida coast from Apalachicola to Tampa, the storm surge will be very high and they will be evacuating many people in advance of water levels that could rise 12 feet or even more,' Knox said.

The hurricane is strengthening as it moves past Mexico and up toward the Gulf Coast and has already reached wind speeds of 80 miles per hour.

Forecasters have warned that the hurricane, fueled by record-breaking temperatures in Gulf waters, could reach maximum winds of 125 miles per hour by the time it makes landfall. 

'Helene is just now moving into the Gulf of Mexico,' said Knox, 'so there is really nothing to keep it from growing stronger.'

Although hurricanes usually weaken after they make landfall, meteorologists warn that Helene could maintain its hurricane status for 12 hours or more.

Experts have not commented on the specific amount of devastation that could accompany Hurricane Helene, but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has confirmed that it could be 'life-threatening.'

Two components are causing the hurricane to grow, including the change in wind speed or direction, called a wind shear, which has decreased as the storm approaches the US.

A wind shear will have the effect of blowing the top off a developing tropical cyclone, much like a hat blown off your head, which will keep it from developing into a stronger storm.

However, if the wind shear disappears or decreases - as it's done during Hurricane Helene - the storm can grow vertically, making its circulation stronger and giving it a wider range.

The second factor is the 'record-setting warm temperatures in the eastern Gulf of Mexico,' where the storm is expected to pass directly over.

'The warm water acts like fuel to the storm, increasing its strength quickly. We call this 'rapid intensification' because the storm's pressure can drop rapidly and the wind speed around the center of the storm will grow in concert with this,' Knox said. 

The NHC is now urging people to prepare for the impending storm and several Florida counties have already received orders to evacuate. 

The NHC said Hurricane Helene will impact almost the entirety of Florida's west coast over a 36-hour period and residents should plan on the heavy winds and rain downing trees and power lines that will cause power outages and could last for several days.

Florida Storm Chasers said in a post on X that the latest Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting (GRAF) model 'is still suggesting that Helene could blow up into a Category 4 before making landfall somewhere in the Big Bend of Florida.'

Knox advised that people invest in generators or batteries to provide them with temporary power while they wait for companies to fix the broken lines. 

People should prepare by making sure their gas tanks are full and cell phones are charged and ensure they have enough water and non-perishable food that will last for at least a week after the storm.

'Any loose items that are out in yards like chairs, tables, and ornaments should be taken indoors so that they do not become airborne missiles,' Knox said. 

Josh Morgerman, a self-proclaimed hurricane chaser, posted about the 'ominous signs this morning' coming from Helene and warned that 'a dangerous situation is developing.'

He warned Floridians against making any assumptions about Helene based on past experiences with Debby and Idalia, stating 'this one is likely to be much more severe' and warned people to 'take it seriously.'