Hurricane Helene heads to Florida as one of year’s most powerful US storms

Storm is expected to travel up south-eastern coast once it makes landfall, moving from Florida to North Carolina A storm barreling towards Florida’s Gulf coast is now expected to be a catastrophic category 4 strength hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center, making it one of the most powerful storms to hit the US this year. Much of Hurricane Helene’s gathering strength comes from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which have reached unprecedented high temperatures in recent years. In general, the ocean waters around Florida have also seen rising temperatures in recent years, making the state more susceptible to catastrophic storms.