Tropical Storm Helene gains strength as hurricane warnings issued in part of Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Storm Helene will continue to gain strength Wednesday as it moves through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

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As of Wednesday morning, Helene’s track is still aiming to impact the Big Bend area of Florida.

The storm is sitting off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Photos: Tropical Storm Helene gains strength as hurricane warnings issued in part of Florida

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Tropical Storm Helene gains strength as hurricane warnings issued in part of Florida

Helene will follow a similar track as Hurricane Debby and Hurricane Idalia.

Helene is forecast to become a major hurricane before making landfall Thursday night in Florida.

Watch: Parts of Florida still recovering from Hurricane Debby prepare for Helene

Our biggest threat in Central Florida will be from Helene’s rain bands.

Those storms had a chance of producing isolated tornados, especially Thursday evening.

Watch: See where you can get sandbags in Central Florida

Spotty power outages and localized flooding are possible.

As of Wednesday morning, the worst weather will stay west of Central Florida.

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Channel 9 will continue to monitor Helene and provide updates on Eyewitness News.

Follow our Severe Weather team on X for live updates:

• Chief meteorologist Tom Terry
• Brian Shields
• Kassandra Crimi
• David Heckard

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