Hurricane Helene Strengthens To “Extremely Dangerous” Cat. 4; “Catastrophic” Storm Surge Predicted; Orlando Parks Close Some Attractions Amid Tornado Watch; Key MLB Games Rescheduled – Update

UPDATED, 3:50 PM: Helene is now a Category 4 major hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph as it barrels toward the Florida Gulf Coast and south Georgia. The storm is expected to continue to strengthen as it moves across the 82-degree water in the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to make landfall along the Big Bend of Florida later tonight or early Friday morning.

A “catastrophic and deadly” storm surge is expected in northwestern Florida, up to 20 feet in the Big Bend area, along with powerful winds and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S., according to the National Weather Service. In addition to the surge, forecasters warn of the wave action on top of that which could compound Helene-related destruction.

Helene is expected to strengthen over the Gulf of Mexico and hit Florida’s Gulf Coast by late Thursday as a major hurricane with triple-digit sustained winds and a potentially life-threatening storm surge of 15-20 feet for the Big Bend area of the Panhandle. Even as far south as Tampa, a storm surge of 5-8 feet is expected.

One Florida official told the Weather Channel that that Big Bend storm surge is the biggest he’d ever seen predicted there.

Per the NWS Thursday morning, “Helene is moving toward the north-northeast near 16 mph (26 km/h). A significant increase in forward speed is expected during the next 24 hours. On the forecast track, Helene will make landfall in the Florida Big Bend region this evening. After landfall, Helene is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.”

The impending storm forced Major League Baseball to reschedule two crucial late-season games between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. The hometown Braves are hosting the Mets for the three-game series featuring teams that are neck-and-neck for a playoff spot with just only a handful of games remaining on their schedules.

The two wild-card hopefuls instead will play a doubleheader Monday — one day before the MLB Playoffs start. MLB decided on postponement rather than move the games to a neutral site, which has happened just three times since 2008. The doubleheader will start at 1:10 p.m. ET Monday.

Both Florida MLB teams — the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays — are playing out of town this week, and neither is in the playoff hunt.

Govs. Brian Kemp of Georgia, Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Ron DeSantis of Florida have declared states of emergency.

The storm’s size adds extra concern. The NWS reports that hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 345 miles from the center. Per AP, “Hurricane Helene is forecast to be one of the largest storms in seven years to hit the Gulf of Mexico region, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. He said since 1988, only three Gulf of Mexico hurricanes have been bigger: 2017’s Irma, 2005’s Wilma and 1995’s Opal.”

As a result, Tropical storm warnings now blanket nearly the entire state of Florida (except where Hurricane warnings are in effect) the entire state of Georgia, the entire state of South Carolina and the mountains of North Carolina. A storm surge warning covers virtually the entire 660 mile long west coast of Florida.

Mandatory evacuations have been issued for parts of Sarasota, Charlotte, Madison, Charlotte, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Gadsden, Levy, Dixie, Liberty, Lafayette, Leon and Gulf counties. Mandatory evacuation orders are now in place for ALL portions of Franklin, Wakulla, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Manatee, Suwannee and Taylor counties.

The biggest storm to make landfall in the U.S. in more than a year has the film and TV production hub of Atlanta, aka Hollywood South, in its cross-hairs. Hurricane-force winds are currently expected to extend as far as Macon, GA, which is about 85 miles south of Atlanta. That means Atlanta will likely see tropical storm force winds. On Wednesday, Atlanta was on the edge of an area predicted to have high potential for flash flooding. On Thursday, the NWS updated the chart to include Atlanta. See below.

Asked by Deadline early Wednesday whether there are any postponements of film or TV shoots, a rep for the Atlanta Film Office said, “Nothing that we are aware of at this time.”

Over in Orlando, a tornado watch has been issued for much of central Florida, including areas where the Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando resorts are located, according to local Spectrum News 13.

A statement from WDW indicated it had no plans to close the entire resort, but had discontinued some attractions today.

“Walt Disney World Resort is currently operating under normal conditions; however, some experiences will be cancelled or unavailable on September 26,” a Wednesday statement read. “We are closely monitoring the path of the storm as we continue to prioritize the safety of our Guests and Cast Members.”

Among the attractions closed were Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and the resort’s miniature golf courses. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was also canceled.

Over at Universal Orlando, the resort’s popular Halloween Horror Night was canceled while Universal City Walk will close early and Volcano Bay was closed for the day.