Potential Hurricane Slated To Hit Florida Just Weeks After Helene Decimated Rural South, Forecasters Say

A tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico is forecasted to strengthen into a hurricane and hit Florida late Tuesday or Wednesday, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the Southeast.

Tropical Storm Milton is expected to develop into a “near major hurricane” — a hurricane close to a Category 3 rating — before making a potential mid-week landfall on the west coast of the Florida Peninsula, according to the National Hurricane Center. The natural disaster is forecasted to arrive mere days after Category 4 Hurricane Helene struck the Sunshine State on Sept. 26 and made its way up through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, taking the lives of at least 223 people.

“There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday,” the National Hurricane Center wrote in a storm advisory Saturday. “Residents in these areas should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place, follow any advice given by local officials and check back for updates to the forecast.”

The National Hurricane Center also issued an advisory Saturday, warning that Category 3 Hurricane Kirk in the Atlantic Ocean could generate high seas off of the East Coast.

The hurricane warnings come after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not have enough funds to make it through hurricane season after distributing $45 million in disaster relief for Hurricane Helene as of Friday. The agency has been scrutinized for its cash shortage after the public learned that it allocated $1 billion for a migrant assistance program over the past two fiscal years, and deemed “equity” as one of its three “ambitious goals” in its 2022-2026 strategic plan.

The National Hurricane Center and FEMA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.