The storms in the Caribbean have now formed a tropical storm, earning its name, Helene.
Tropical Storm Helene is expected to become a hurricane at 8 a.m. Wednesday and continue to gain strength between the Yucatan peninsula and Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Forecasters from the National Hurricane Center and AccuWeather show a path for the storm to strike the Big Bend of Florida and go along the Georgia-Alabama state line.
How bad will wind, rain get in Columbus?
Tuesday afternoon, there was a 40% chance that Columbus would see winds of at least 39 mph once the storm hit the area, according to the National Hurricane Center’s advisory. Columbus has a 5-10% chance of winds reaching 58 mph or greater. But AccuWeather is forecasting 60-80 mph winds for Columbus.
Columbus can expect tropical storm-force winds Thursday night and into Friday morning.
“Rain well ahead of the storm in Columbus is likely, it will be very very wet,” Alex DaSilva, lead hurricane expert at AccuWeather, said. “We’re concerned about flooding from rain, the storm, a vast rain shield to the north is expected.”