As Hurricane Helene moved into the Gulf of Mexico this afternoon, the National Weather Service upgraded Polk County from a Tropical Storm Watch to a Tropical Storm Warning as the storm intensified.

Parts of South and Central Georgia have also been upgraded to a Hurricane Warning as well amid the increased tracking forecast that places the Florida Panhandle and Georgia under the gun of Helene, which began to form on Monday as the latest Tropical Cyclone.

The tropical storm warning means that conditions with wind gusts above 40 mph are expected within the next 36 hours.

The area also remains under a flood watch through the remainder of the week.

Winds are expected to begin arriving at those levels by 8 p.m. on Thursday evening, September 26.

The National Hurricane Center’s latest update as of 4 p.m. Central Time (5 p.m. EDT) had Hurricane Helene at sustained winds of 85 mph as it sat gaining strength just past the west coast of Cuba and north of the Yucatan Peninsula.

The storm is expected to increase in strength into a major hurricane. Helene is projected on a similar path as the Category 5 Hurricane Michael which struck in the same area of the panhandle in Florida (and formed in the same area.) Hurricane Michael in October 2018.