The center war:ned: “A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level,

along with destructive waves.

“Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by early Thursday before tropical storm conditions arrive.”

The experts added that as of 5am local time on Thursday, Helene was already providing wind strengths of a whopping 90mph.

Those excessive winds are only expected to get worse in the coming hours, with the hurricane center predicting speeds of at least 130mph could be reacher later this afternoon.

Tropical storms are fairly common in Florida, but Helene is predicted to cause quite a bit of damage.

In fact, hurricane expert Michael Lowry has warned the hurricane is set to grow into one of the largest storms in the Gulf of Mexico over the last century.

He penned on Twitter: “Only four named storms this century have been as large over the Gulf of Mexico (measured by the extent of tropical storm winds) as Helene is forecast to become by tomorrow: Irma (2017), Ike (2008), Ivan (2004) and Isidore (2002).”

Thousands of people living in Florida have been forced to evacuate their homes, and even the entire state as a result of the risk posed by the hurricane. The Tallahassee National Weather Service has issued a stark warning for anyone living in and around Apalachee Bay, as they stated in an update on Wednesday (25 September) that the storm surge threat is ‘catastrophic and/or potentially unsurvivable’.

Damage has already been down further south, with cars plunged underwater In the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Meanwhile, Cuba’s province of Pinar del Río has seen more than 50,000 people left without power.