In its 5 p.m. advisory, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning from the Anclote River to Mexico Beach.

The greater Tampa Bay region is also under a tropical storm warning and a storm surge warning.

Location: About 150 miles south of the western tip of Cuba
Maximum sustained winds: 50 mph
Direction: West-northwest at 12 mph

The University of South Florida is closing Wednesday through Friday. Residence halls on the Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee campuses remain open. Residence halls in St. Petersburg will close beginning Wednesday. USF St. Petersburg residential students without a place to stay will be taken to the Tampa campus.

USF Health Clinical Facilities will be open Wednesday and closed Thursday. A decision has not been made yet about Friday.

University of Tampa is also closing Wednesday through Friday. They have not announced any evacuations of residence halls yet.

Eckerd College is closed through at least Friday and students must be out of the residence halls by 11 a.m. Wednesday.

St. Petersburg College is closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Hillsborough Community College is closed through Thursday, starting at noon Wednesday.

New College of Florida is closed Wednesday through Friday.

Spectrum Bay News 9

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With Tropical Storm Helene expected to become a Category 3 hurricane when it crosses the Gulf of Mexico, it will likely bring a powerful storm surge to the west coast.

Spectrum Bay News 9 Chief Meteorologist Mike Clay said Helene will rapidly intensify as it quickly moves toward the Big Bend area where it is expected to make landfall.

He said storm surge could be between 4 and 8 feet around Tampa Bay.

"It'll be passing by, and that'll push water up on the west coast of Florida," he said.

The storm surge could be between 6 and 10 feet in Pasco County, and as high as 15 feet along the Big Bend-Nature Coast region.

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People in Sarasota who live in coastal areas and evacuation zone A are being asked to leave Wednesday ahead of Helene.

Sarasota Emergency Services Director Sandra Tapfumaneyi said people who need a ride should call 311.

"Please, if you're in an evacuation area, we want you to leave and not be there, so that people have to come and rescue you," she said. "So that's really important."

Evacuation orders for zone A in Sarasota County take effect Wednesday at 7 a.m.

The call to leave for higher ground also applies to those living in mobile and manufactured homes or anyone living on a boat.

Some neighborhoods not in zone A are also being asked to evacuate. Those are Fort Creek in Englewood, and Curry Creek and Hatchet Creek in Venice.

An estimated 4-7 feet of storm is expected, and Tapfumaneyi says the high water could move one to two miles inland.

Steve Newborn

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WUSF

The city of Tampa is getting ready for Helene.

Tampa has spent much of the summer cleaning out storm drains in flood-prone areas of the city, removing about 84 tons of debris. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said city workers will go back after Helene rolls through to clean them out once again.

But she urged people to be prepared now, before the storm hits.

"Any battle with Mother Nature, Mother Nature wins," Castor said. "And so you have to understand how quickly things can happen during a storm. So you don't want to wait to see how bad it gets before you heed the warnings."

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Nancy Guan

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WUSF

Hernando County is issuing an evacuation order beginning Wednesday at 8 a.m.

The order applies to those who live in areas west of U.S. 19, which encompasses evacuation zones A, B, C.

Residents who live in low-lying coastal areas and in manufactured homes countywide are also being told to evacuate and seek shelter elsewhere.

If residents aren’t sure what zone they’re located in, they can call the citizen’s information line at 352-754-4083. The county’s website also has information on evacuation zones.

Hernando County Emergency Management Director David DeCarlo encouraged people to stay with family or friends. However, those who need it can find refuge at West Hernando Middle School, which will open at 8 a.m. Wednesday. The school is located at 14325 Ken Austin Parkway.

“Remember even though the public shelters are open, they are a life boat not a love boat, they should be your last resort,” said DeCarlo.

The shelter is open to those with special needs, the general population and people with pets.

However, the county is encouraging pet owners to bring their own resources such as crates, medication, food, leashes and cleaning supplies.

Transportation for people with pets can be arranged through the Animal Control with Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. Call 352-754-4083 to arrange pick up.

DeCarlo urged residents to heed the order, as help may not be available when tropical storm force winds hit the area.

“If you haven't evacuated, there will be a point in time where we probably have massive power outages, [and] we won't be able to respond to you in the middle of the night,” said DeCarlo, “So please heed our warnings, take evacuation seriously, find a safe place of refuge.”

If your county is under the state of emergency issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis, you can get early prescription refills.

In a press release Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health reminded health insurers, managed care organizations and health entities to allow for early prescription refills. They should also allow payment to pharmacies for at least a 30-day supply of prescriptions. The mandate ends once the governor’s executive order is rescinded or expired, according to the release.

You can get early refills for controlled substances as long as it isn’t listed as a Schedule II drug. The state health department is also reminding people to have enough prescriptions on hand in case pharmacies are unavailable.

Pinellas County is evacuating some of its most vulnerable residents to prepare for Helene.

The county has ordered 26 hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Zone A to evacuate.

The two hospitals, 14 nursing homes and 10 assisted living facilities are being evacuated early because they take longer to do so.

Emergency Management Director Cathie Perkins said they'll continue to monitor weather advisories to determine whether any other residents should follow suit.

She's urging everyone to know their zone and to start preparing homes now.

“Don't panic,” Perkins said. “Have a plan, be ready to put it in place if we call for those evacuations or other protective measures.

Perkins said the county will open emergency shelters if needed. Schools are closed in the county Wednesday and Thursday to accommodate that.

The shelters may needed because officials say Helene could have much worse flooding impacts than some other recent storms.

The storm is projected to develop into a Category 3 Hurricane and could send 5-8 feet of storm surge to Pinellas, and cause significant beach erosion.

Emergency Management director Cathie Perkins says that's a lot more than Hurricane Idalia. That storm caused just over four feet of storm surge last year and flooded more than 15-hundred homes.

She said flood-prone areas are especially vulnerable.

“So I need everybody to be paying attention to the forecast,” Perkins said. “I need everybody to make sure you know your zone and know that you're at risk for flooding.”

Perkins said beach renourishments efforts are going as quickly as possible. But she says residents near certain beaches like Treasure Island and Sunset could be more vulnerable than in previous years.

National Hurricane Center

Hurricane and storm surge warnings remain in effect for the Tampa Bay area and Florida's Gulf Coast.

The Tampa Bay area can also expect storm surge of 5-8 feet.

Location: About 175 miles south of the western tip of Cuba
Maximum sustained winds: 45 mph
Direction: West-northwest at 12 mph

Gov. Ron DeSantis

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Hurricane and storm-surge watches are in effect for much of Florida’s Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Helene is expected to rapidly grow into a major hurricane this week.

Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a state of emergency to 61 of the state’s 67 counties.

DeSantis also requested a federal emergency declaration in advance of the storm making landfall.

Speaking at the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee on Tuesday morning, DeSantis said the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend should be prepared for a direct impact.

“Prepare; you have time to do it," DeSantis said. "There is a lot of uncertainty with this storm, but the one thing that is certain is that we are going to see some impacts. So, just prepare yourself accordingly.”

DeSantis said impacts could be felt 100-200 miles from the center of what is expected to be a very dangerous storm.

For the Tampa Bay area, that means storm surge and heavy rain and winds.

Tropical Storm Helene formed has formed in the Caribbean Sea as of the National Hurricane Center's 11 a.m. update, and forecasters say it will strengthen into a major hurricane.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is warning residents in the Big Bend and eastern Panhandle to be prepared for a direct hit on Thursday.

“I think most people would say the further east it tracks, it’s not going to have as much runway to get the maximum intensity," DeSantis said. "The further west it tracks, it’s got that runway. The more it goes due north from where it is now, once it gets past the Yucatan, then you’re looking at more significant rapid intensification. So there’s a range of possibilities here.”

DeSantis says whether the storm moves east or west will also have an impact on what effect the Gulf Coast, including the greater Tampa Bay area could face.

But he says everyone should be prepared for the possibility of long-term power outages and road closures caused by downed trees and debris.

As of Tuesday at 5 a.m., the greater Tampa Bay region was under a hurricane watch and storm surge watch ahead of a system that' forecast to become a major hurricane in the Gulf.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency Monday for 41 counties, including coastal areas in the Tampa Bay area.

DeSantis said the storm is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Helene by Tuesday and continue to intensify once it enters the Gulf of Mexico.

He says the system is forecast to produce significant storm surge along Florida's Gulf Coast, along with coastal flooding, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall.

Counties across the greater Tampa Bay region are making sandbags available Tuesday and Wednesday.

Here is a list of locations.