Major airports close as South braces for Hurricane Helene: 'Cancel your flights now'

Airports are bracing for impact from Hurricane Helene by announcing closures as the storm intensifies along the Gulf of Mexico on a path to Florida.

Hurricane-force winds could be felt far inland Wednesday afternoon as forecasters predict it will move rapidly northward into southern Georgia after striking Florida. 

The U.S. National Hurricane Center center has issued hurricane warnings for part of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Florida's northwestern coastline, where large storm surges of up to 15 feet are expected.

Two Florida airports - Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport - announced upcoming closures ahead of the storms arrival.

'Tampa International Airport will suspend all commercial and cargo operations beginning at 2 a.m. Thursday ahead of Hurricane Helene, with the Airport remaining closed to the public until it can assess any damage after the storm,' the airport said. 

'The three other public airports managed by the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority - Peter O. Knight, Tampa Executive and Plant City Airports - will also close at 2 a.m. Thursday.'

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will close after the last flight arrives on Wednesday because it is in a mandatory evacuation zone and plans to reopen on Friday.

Major airlines including American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United and Frontier have issued travel alerts for passengers flying to and from Florida and Georgia, reported ABC News.

The Department of Transportation does not require airlines to offer a full refund to customers if a flight is canceled or significantly delayed due weather.

Ahead of Hurricane Helene's arrival in Florida, at least 24 counties in the state are under an evacuation order by midday Wednesday, according to the state Division of Emergency Management.

Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Floridians to expect widespread power outages, heavy rainfall and high winds.

'Just know these effects are coming to the state of Florida, and it's not a matter of whether we're going to get effects, it's just a question of how significant those effects will be,' he said. 'The eye of the storm is coming in this region.'

More than 30 counties in southern Georgia were under a hurricane warning from the National Weather Service, including some rural areas roughly 100 miles north of the Georgia-Florida line.

The hurricane warning area for Georgia included Albany, southwest Georgia's largest city with a population of 67,000, as well as Valdosta, home to 55,000 along Interstate 75. 

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency ahead of Hurricane Helene on Wednesday as the state prepares for severe weather impacts that could threaten life and property through Saturday morning.

'Helene threatens heavy rain, flash flooding, landslides, and damaging winds to the mountains and Piedmont areas of our state,' Cooper said.

'Now is the time for North Carolinians to prepare, make sure emergency kits are up-to-date and pay attention to the weather alerts in your area.'

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster also declared a state of emergency advising residents to monitor local forecasts and begin taking proper precautions.

'Although South Carolina will likely avoid the brunt of Hurricane Helene's impacts, the storm is still expected to bring dangerous flooding, high winds, and isolated tornadoes to many parts of the state,' said McMaster. 

The National Hurricane Center forecasts life-threatening storm surge from Helene along the entire Florida Peninsula and Florida Big Bend as it increases in speed and is expected to make landfall by Thursday.

'Tropical storm conditions are expected in southern Florida later today and will spread northward across the rest of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina through Thursday,' the center said.

'Over the Southeastern U.S. into the Southern Appalachians, Helene is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 5 to 10 inches with isolated totals around 15 inches.' 

Helene was pelting Mexico's Caribbean coast resorts from Cozumel to Cancun with rain, high waves and strong winds early Wednesday. 

Showers and thunderstorms have already been raging over the Caribbean and surrounding areas in Central America, with localized flash flooding and mudslides expected.