The threat of what is forecast to become Hurricane Helene had the National Hurricane Center on Tuesday issue hurricane watches for Florida’s Gulf Coast warning storm surge could reach as

The National Hurricane Center designated a disturbance over the northwestern Caribbean Sea as Invest 97L on Sunday, giving the knot of showers and thunderstorms near Honduras an 80% chance of forming into something tropical over the next two days and a 90% chance over seven days.

Residents and leaders on Florida’s Gulf Coast and the Panhandle aren’t wasting time getting ready for the next tropical threat taking aim at the Gulf Coast, as Tropical Storm or Hurricane Helene is likely to form this week.