Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
Preparations underway in Florida; Helene to hit state as major hurricane
AccuWeather
Follow
9/24/2024
AccuWeather's Bill Wadell is in Panama City Beach, Florida, where the area is expected to be significantly impacted by Helene, which is expected to make landfall in the state as a major hurricane.
Category
🗞
News
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
Bill, gorgeous this morning at the beach now, but people need to be prepared for big impacts.
00:06
Absolutely. Ariella Burney, good morning to you. It is a gorgeous morning here at the beach. People
00:11
out enjoying the sun, the calm waters, the extremely warm waters this morning. This is
00:16
one of those reasons for concern when the weather is just so nice. Some people let their guard down
00:22
thinking the weather is going to be bad sooner and that's just not the case with a storm like this.
00:26
The good news guys, the people that I've been talking with out here on the beach and right
00:30
along the street this morning, a lot more people are aware of this storm. A lot more people are
00:34
talking about it compared to what we saw yesterday and some of the tourists here tell us that they
00:38
are cutting their vacations short and heading home early. Now, AccuWeather was the first
00:44
source to forecast this track and intensity with hurricane impacts. We put this forecast out first
00:51
to warn people of the impacts of this storm because with this homegrown development threat
00:56
so close to the United States and still at this point not having a named storm, people need to get
01:01
ready. That's why our forecast was out first to warn people that it is time to prepare and we
01:06
could tell you the scars from Hurricane Michael nearly six years ago, it's still clear all over
01:11
the place including over at Tyndall Air Force Base. More than 400 buildings on the base were
01:15
destroyed by Michael. Five billion dollars in construction projects to build back better and
01:21
stronger for the next storm. They're underway right now. Now, that work is expected to be
01:25
finished by next summer but the storm could delay construction and could potentially push back those
01:31
plans. People visiting or living full-time in RVs and campers are being warned to take this storm
01:37
threat seriously along the Gulf Coast. RVs and campers can be incredibly dangerous in tropical
01:43
storms and hurricanes. The wind can slam against both the side and it can also blow underneath
01:48
those campers and we've seen RVs easily flip in hurricane force winds and be torn apart. We saw
01:55
some families packing up and rolling out of this campsite in Mexico Beach yesterday. A good idea,
02:00
you could see that site is surrounded by water on both sides. Visitors here tell us they can
02:05
confirm the buoy reports that water temperatures are just incredibly warm. Oh my lord, let me tell
02:13
you, we went out yesterday in the water and was amazed at how the temperature was. I don't know
02:19
what it was but it's some of the warmest Gulf water I have ever felt. Those warm waters at the
02:27
surface and deep down hundreds of feet below the surface far out in the Gulf, that can act like
02:33
rocket fuel helping these storms explode in intensity and we just checked the buoy readings
02:38
here in the Panama City Beach, Florida area. Not far from here, some of those readings, Bernie and
02:42
Ariella, 83 close to 85 degrees. So close to the coast, that is well above the historical average. So
02:50
that's why there is such a concern for the threat of rapid intensification, not just for this storm
02:55
but over the next few weeks if we see any more tropical threats. Speaking with Alex Da Silva,
02:59
those warm warm waters are so far down that the storm really isn't able to churn up colder water
03:05
so we're not seeing temperatures really cool down in the wake of these storms and again some
03:10
locals we are taking this storm a bit more seriously. Some visitors tell us they are going
03:14
to be packing up and cutting their trip short but when it comes to preparations
03:18
we haven't seen much of that yet but that is expected to change later today.
Recommended
4:31
|
Up next
Millions of people to be impacted by Helene
AccuWeather
9/25/2024
1:59
Florida's state capital braces for hurricane conditions from Helene
AccuWeather
9/25/2024
5:10
Rapidly intensifying Helene will make landfall in Florida tomorrow
AccuWeather
9/25/2024
3:33
Conditions deteriorate as Hurricane Helene closes in on Florida
AccuWeather
9/26/2024
4:11
Storm-weary Floridians prepare for next storm
AccuWeather
10/7/2024
2:52
Widespread power outages expected as Helene eyes Florida
AccuWeather
9/25/2024
3:19
New tropical threat looms as Florida recovers from Hurricane Helene
AccuWeather
10/4/2024
1:45
Storm surge spilling into Florida as Hurricane Helene looms
AccuWeather
9/26/2024
4:29
"Get out" before Milton impacts areas of Florida
AccuWeather
10/9/2024
1:57
State of emergency in Florida as Helene preps ramp up
AccuWeather
9/24/2024
2:01
Tyndall AFB, Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach brace for Helene
AccuWeather
9/25/2024
3:13
Powerful winds and rain arrive in Apalachicola ahead of Helene
AccuWeather
9/27/2024
3:28
Helene targets Florida as the storm continues to strengthen
AccuWeather
9/25/2024
2:08
Historic landfall as Hurricane Ian barrels over Florida
AccuWeather
9/28/2022
6:08
Still a long way to go toward recovery in western North Carolina months after Helene
AccuWeather
3/27/2025
5:05
Milton expected to sprint towards Florida as major hurricane
AccuWeather
10/7/2024
4:45
Looking back at the 2023 hurricane season's effects up and down the East Coast
AccuWeather
12/1/2023
1:19
Floridians prepare for Helene's expected landfall as major hurricane
AccuWeather
9/25/2024
3:21
Georgia braces for Hurricane Helene
AccuWeather
9/27/2024
4:49
Extreme conditions from Hurricane Milton threaten Florida
AccuWeather
10/8/2024
1:55
Hurricane Helene continues to strengthen, will make landfall tonight
AccuWeather
9/26/2024
2:28
Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall late tonight
AccuWeather
10/9/2024
1:04
Helene approaches Florida as dangerous hurricane
AccuWeather
9/27/2024
2:47
Coastal Florida turns into a ghost town ahead of Hurricane Helene
AccuWeather
9/26/2024
1:00
Conditions ramp up as Hurricane Helene's landfall becomes official
AccuWeather
9/27/2024