Per the 11 a.m. EDT update from the National Hurricane Center, Helene has become a category-one hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 130 km/h. The hurricane force winds were confirmed by Air Force Reserve and NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft. The storm is positioned 135 km to the northeast of Cozumel, Mexico as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico.
Rapid strengthening to a major hurricane
The storm is moving into very favourable conditions for further intensification. Sea surface temperatures ahead of the hurricane are near 30 degrees and the wind environment over the Gulf of Mexico isn’t expected to be strong enough to disrupt the storm. Hurricanes need sea surface temperatures of just over 27 degrees to fuel them.
Helene is forecast to become a category-three hurricane Thursday morning with maximum sustained winds near 195 km/h. The strongest winds near the centre of the storm are then expected to reach 205 km/h just before landfall, which …