Florida is bracing for what could be the United States’ heaviest-hitting hurricane so far this season, as an area of thunderstorms builds strength in the Caribbean Sea before potentially bringing life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds to the Southeast later this week.

Tropical Storm Helene threatens Florida, placing most of the state on high alert as it is one of the strongest storms to make landfall in the United States in over a year, according to CNN.

Time is running out for Floridians in the path of Helene, which threatens to hit as the strongest storm to make landfall in the United States in over a year. Tropical Storm Helene formed in the northwestern Caribbean Sea Tuesday morning and will set off on a breakneck pace of strengthening.

Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Floridians Wednesday afternoon to finish preparations for Hurricane Helene’s landfall along the Big Bend on Thursday night, emphasizing the unprecedented damage tree debris could cause in Tallahassee.

Fast-moving Hurricane Helene was advancing Thursday across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, threatening an “unsurvivable” storm surge in northwestern parts of the state as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.

Southeastern states of the US are bracing for storm surges, flooding rains and strong winds as Hurricane Helene approaches. Helene has intensified in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday as a category 4 major hurricane,