Hurricane Helene tracker: Live maps and real-time tools show storm’s path toward Florida

Hurricane Helene is picking up speed as it moves northeast toward the Florida panhandle from its current location off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. Helene, now a Category 1 hurricane, could turn into a Category 3 hurricane. It was upgraded from a Tropical Storm midday on Wednesday. Preparation and evacuations are underway in Florida and Georgia as locals brace for the storm, which is predicted to hit late Thursday night or early Friday morning. It could be the worst hurricane in the U.S. in over a year. Helene began to intensify in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday morning, due to unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. It is currently just off the northeast coast of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula with sustained winds of 80 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm also brings potential for flooding, damaging winds, and heavy rain. In Florida, thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate coastal areas. Most of the state is under storm alerts, bracing for what Helene will bring in its wake. How to track Hurricane Helene’s path in real time The storm’s current path shows Helene heading directly toward the Florida panhandle with Tallahassee, the state’s capital, dead center in its path. Current predictions show it speeding through that area late Thursday night and onto Albany, Georgia early Friday morning, according to CNN’s storm tracker. The rest of the storm is forecast to move through Huntsville and Atlanta on Friday as it heads north to Tennessee, through Chattanooga, and into the Midwest over the weekend.  Helene is expected to be the fifth hurricane to hit Florida since 2022, and the fourth to make landfall in the U.S. this year alone. Hurricanes can change paths quickly, which is why tracking the storm is so important. If you’re looking for ways to track the storm’s path, we’ve rounded up some resources below: National Hurricane Center CNN Storm Tracker Esri’s Hurricane Aware