Multiple Tropical Storms and Hurricanes Battering Mexico, Southeast United States

Mexico and the southeastern part of the United States are getting battered by storms that are only getting stronger.

Hurricane Helene's outer bands on the beaches of Marco Island, Florida, Thursday morning as the major hurricane heads toward the Florida Panhandle. Dozens of people walked the beach looking for shells. / J. Kyle Foster/Naples Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The southeastern part of the United States and Mexico are getting hit hard as multiple storms brewing in the area are gaining strength and causing massive devastation.

Late Monday, former Hurricane John crushed Mexico’s Pacific coast, killing at least two people. Heavy rains led to mudslides damaging homes and taking out trees.

It reached as high as category 3, making landfall just east of Acapulco. It had died down and become categorized as a tropical storm, but it gained strength on Thursday morning and is now recognized as a hurricane once again.

The western coast of Mexico has received flash floods and mudslide warnings. Hurricane warnings are in place for the southwestern part of the country.

East of Mexico, Hurricane Helene is rapidly moving and becoming stronger as well. Moving across the Gulf of Mexico, it is heading right for Florida.

Hurricane Helene has been upgraded to a Category 2 as devastating winds, rain and flash flood warnings are in effect for hundreds of miles across the southeast United States.

Forecasters believe that Helene is going to be a major hurricane, as we haven’t seen the worst of it. To be categorized as such, it will become a Category 3 or higher. Florida’s northwestern coast is getting the brunt of it for now, but plenty of areas are on high alert.

As shared by the Associated Press, landfall is expected to occur sometime by Thursday night. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have all had governors declared emergencies in their respective states.

Keep an eye on the developing Tropical Storm Isaac as well. That storm developed on Wednesday and could become strong enough to be categorized as a hurricane by the end of the week.

“Isaac was about 690 miles (1,115 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda with top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving east at about 12 mph (19 kph),” as written by the Associated Press.

This has already been a busy storm season, and more are predicted on the horizon. As shared by the AP, there is an average of 14 named storms every year; seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

In 2024, we are already up to nine with Isaac. With just over two months remaining in hurricane season, projections are that somewhere between 17 and 25 storms will be named. Potential 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes could occur.