The National Hurricane Center is forecasting that a major hurricane will make landfall along the Florida Gulf coast on Thursday. The storm, which is still taking shape and will be named Helene, could become the strongest hurricane to hit the United States this season.

An area of thunderstorms in the Caribbean is expected to develop into Hurricane Helene and rapidly intensify over the exceptionally warm Gulf of Mexico before slamming into the United States’ Gulf Coast later this week,

Florida Panhandle and Big Bend residents should begin their hurricane preparations as forecasters expect the storm to make landfall Thursday as a Category 2 or Category 3 Hurricane Helene. Here is the latest on Tropical Cyclone Nine.