Hurricane Helene’s wide and destructive wind field was moving along the Gulf Coast of Florida southwest of Tampa on Thursday morning and is expected to rapidly intensify on a direct path for the state’s Big Bend region, where it could pose “a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” according to the National Weather Service. The state’s capital, Tallahassee, is just east of the direct path of Helene, which reached Category 2 strength Thursday and is expected to grown into a major Category 3 storm before making landfall late Thursday or early Friday morning. Helene will have one of the largest wind fields of any storm to hit the southeast U.S. in years, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach, who said that since 1988, only three Gulf hurricanes were bigger than Helene’s predicted size: 2017’s Irma, 2005’s Wilma and 1995’s Opal. Forecasters said Helene will intensify further than previously forecast, predicting 130 mph winds before landfall. “This forecast, if realized, is a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” the National Weather Service office said. “Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!” The forecast track for Hurricane Helene as of 11 a.m. Thursday. (National Hurricane Center/Courtesy) The slight shift in its path has the storm aimed squarely at the sparsely-populated Big Bend area, where rain began to blow in Thursday morning along coastal U.S. Highway 98, which winds through fishing villages and vacation hideaways in this region where Florida’s panhandle and peninsula meet. Shuttered gas stations dotted the two-lane highway, their windows boarded up with plywood. Mandatory evacuation orders stretched from the panhandle south along the Gulf Coast in low-lying areas around Tallahassee, Gainesville, Cedar Key, Lake City, Tampa and Sarasota. The Big Bend stretch of Florida known as the Forgotten Coast has been largely spared by the widespread condo development and commercialization that dominates so many of Florida’s beach communities. The sparsely populated region is loved for its natural wonders — the vast stretches of salt marshes, tidal pools and barrier islands; the dwarf cypress trees of Tate’s Hell State Forest; and Wakulla Springs, considered one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs. Storm surge warnings remain in effect from Mexico Beach eastward and southward to Flamingo south of Everglades National Park, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. With the hurricane hundreds of miles offshore, the retail district of Naples in southwest Florida flooded, driving seawater into Naples Bay and cresting at 2.48 feet, with water surging over seawalls into streets and back yards. Crashing waves driven by powerful winds in Key West broke over the seawall and sprayed the famous tourist plaza that marks the southernmost point in the United States. Tallahassee residents hit the few remaining stores that were still open on Thursday to make last-minute preparations. The state’s two big universities — Florida State and FAMU — were deserted, closed due to the impending hurricane. A refuge center for students had been set up at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center nearby. The sidewalks and roads around the state Capitol were nearly empty of pedestrians and traffic, after thousands of state workers were sent home at noon Wednesday. Elsewhere around town, people scurried around making last minute preparations — made more difficult by the fact most stores and businesses were closed. Grocery stores were closed, but a few big box pharmacies remained open. Most gas stations were closed after running out of fuel Wednesday and the ones that were open had lines of cars waiting to fill up. The Home Depot remained open through the morning where people could still grab pallets of water, large bags of charcoal, plastic gas cans and other last minute supplies. Many residents — even veterans of past hurricanes like Hermine and Michael — chose to leave rather than ride out another storm, especially one that all forecasts said had the potential to become a major hurricane with devastating winds and lacerating rains that would likely trigger flash flooding. “All signals of it being devastating and the trajectory wavering made me reach a decision point, especially with an elderly cat with kidney disease,” said Jeff VanderMeer, a popular science fiction author and longtime resident. “This storm has rattled a lot of people who never left before. I think a lot of it is exhaustion and the uncertainty of the spaghetti models offering alternate realities … and the erratic nature of the storm. It’s psychological, too.” Regardless of where the center comes ashore, Helene will bring widespread and life-threatening conditions to much of the Florida peninsula, including far inland. Tropical storm-force winds hit the Florida Keys overnight and gusts reached South Florida by mid-morning Thursday. Sustained winds of between 20 and 30 mph are expected across South Florida until between 10 p.m. and midnight Thursday. At a news conference Thursday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie reminded Floridians to prepare for life-threatening storm surge as well as dangerous and destructive winds. “If you hear trees snapping around your home, treat it like a tornado,” Guthrie said. Residents should go to an interior room such as a bathroom and cover themselves with something protective, like a comforter or heavy blanket. Those in Tallahassee should expect “significant debris,” DeSantis said, adding that the forecast track from Wednesday night was “not a track we have not seen of that magnitude hit Tallahassee in anyone’s lifetime.” Power outages are likely as falling tree limbs hit power lines, though the governor did not give an estimate as to how long those outages might last. He said it could return as quickly as it did when Hurricane Idalia struck nearby last year, but it depends on whether there is a “structural disruption” on top of damaged power lines, such as during Ian, which can leave people without power for much longer. The governor and his staff will ride out the storm in the city’s emergency operations center. The entire coast of Florida is under various warnings. A hurricane warning is in effect on the west coast from north of Tampa Bay to Mexico Beach on the Panhandle. Hurricane and tropical storm warnings encompass nearly the entirety of Florida, including Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Rough conditions are seen in Deerfield Beach as winds from Hurricane Helene churn the water on Thursday. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel) In addition, a tornado watch remains in place until 8 p.m. for South Florida, and several tornado warnings have been issued and expired when the imminent threat diminished. Hurricane Helene impact Helene had swamped parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun. While Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, its “fast forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States,” including in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the hurricane center said. The center posted lesser tropical storm warnings as far north as North Carolina, and warned that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages, toppled trees and dangerous flooding. The governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have all declared emergencies in their states. For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd. As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Helene was located 255 miles southwest of Tampa, moving north-northeast at 14 mph with sustained winds of 105 mph. Helene will move over the eastern Gulf of Mexico Thursday, where conditions are “very conductive for strengthening,” the National Hurricane Center said. It will make landfall in the Big Bend late Thursday. Live webcams: Watch Hurricane Helene’s impacts on Florida coast Parts of South Florida recorded wind gusts as high as 55 mph Wednesday night, and one reported gust early Thursday in Fort Lauderdale at 64 mph, as Helene’s strong outer bands began to move through the region, according to the National Weather Service Miami. Sustained winds in South Florida will most likely be below 40 mph. Isolated areas near the Atlantic coast could see higher gusts, according to NWS Miami. West Palm Beach to Miami has a 15-25% chance of seeing sustained tropical-storm-force winds, from 39 mph to 73 mph, until Thursday night. Many school districts and universities in the state closed campuses, including Florida State University in Tallahassee, and government offices and buildings will be closed in many counties. Broward and Palm Beach County schools are closed Thursday, along with Broward College, Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College. Schools will be open in Miami-Dade County but with restrictions. Airports across the state closed or suspended operations. Tampa International closed commercial operations on Thursday and will resume when it’s safe to reopen after the hurricane’s passage; some airlines have cancelled traffic to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. Orlando International is still open, as are Miami International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, and Palm Beach International, but travelers are advised to check with their airlines or the travel service Flight Aware for possible delays or disruptions. On the west coast, the threat of destructive, life-threatening storm surge is widespread. The surge in Naples crested at 2.48 feet on Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. “A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level, along with destructive waves,” the hurricane center said. Portions of the Panhandle, from Carrabelle to Suwannee River, could receive 15 to 20 feet of storm surge, the hurricane center said. Paulette McLin takes in the scene outside their summer home ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, in Alligator Point, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Jerry McCullen, top of ladder left, and Carson Baze, top of ladder right, put plywood over the windows of a house ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, in Alligator Point, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Visitors to the Southernmost Point marker in Key West, Fla., are hit by wind driven waves from approaching Hurricane Helene on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Rob O’Neal/The Key West Citizen via AP) A resident uses a piece of plastic sheet as protection from heavy rains brought on by Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Cuba, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) A traffic advisory sign on westbound S.R. 408 near downtown Orlando, Fla., informs commuters of the approaching Hurricane Helene, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP) Paulette McLin takes in the scene outside their summer home ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, in Alligator Point, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Residents use a piece of plastic as protection from heavy rains brought on by Hurricane Helene, in Batabano, Cuba, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Owners secure their boats outside the Davis Islands Yacht Club Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, ahead of Hurricane Helene in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) Paulette McLin loads items into their truck as they prepare their summer home ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, in Alligator Point, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Bo Manausa pulls his boot out of the water ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, in Alligator Point, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) People bag sand in preparation for possible flooding on Sept. 25, 2024 in Tallahassee, Florida. Forecasts predict Tropical Storm Helene will strengthen to a hurricane, making landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) Sandbags are filled at a public site while residents prepare their homes for potential flooding, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as Tropical Storm Helene approaches. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP) Dave McCurley boards up the windows to his home in advance of Tropical Storm Helene, expected to make landfall as a hurricane, in Ochlockonee Bay, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Will Marx cleans up remodeling debris in advance of Tropical Storm Helene, expected to become a hurricane before landfall, in Panacea, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, second from right, speaks to linemen before a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at the Tampa Electric Company offices in Tampa, Fla., as Tropical Storm Helene, expected to become a hurricane, moves north along Mexico’s coast toward the U.S. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) Karl Bohlmann, left, and Tangi Bohlmann, of Tarpon Springs, collect sandbags at a public site while residents prepare their homes for potential flooding, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as the Tropical Storm Helene approaches. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP) Kevin Guthrie, Director of Florida Division of Emergency Management, right, gestures as Gov. Ron DeSantis looks on during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at the Tampa Electric Company offices in Tampa, Fla., as Tropical Storm Helene, expected to become a hurricane, moves north along Mexico’s coast toward the U.S. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) Dave McCurley boards up the windows to his home in advance of Tropical Storm Helene, expected to make landfall as a hurricane, in Ochlockonee Bay, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at the Tampa Electric Company offices in Tampa, Fla., as Tropical Storm Helene, expected to become a hurricane, moves north along Mexico’s coast toward the U.S.(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) Storm clouds are seen on the horizon as the sun sets on Sept. 24, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Tropical Storm Helene is forecast to become a major hurricane, bringing a potential for deadly storm surge, flooding rain, and destructive hurricane-force winds along parts of the Florida West coast. Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Show Caption1 of 20Paulette McLin takes in the scene outside their summer home ahead of Hurricane Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday evening, in Alligator Point, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Expand In Tallahassee, where stations started to run out of gas, 19-year-old Florida A&M student Kameron Benjamin filled sandbags with his roommate to protect their apartment before evacuating. Their school shut down. “This hurricane is heading straight to Tallahassee, so I really don’t know what to expect,” Benjamin said. As Big Bend residents prepared their homes, many saw the ghost of 2018’s Hurricane Michael. That storm rapidly intensified and crashed ashore as a Category 5 that laid waste to Panama City and parts of the rural Panhandle. “You are going to have a major hurricane plowing inland, and storms take a little time to decay once they’re inland,” said Brian McNoldy, an environmental researcher at the University of Miami. Inland areas could receive 5 to 10 inches of rain, with isolated totals around 15 inches, resulting in flash flooding to northwestern and northern Florida, the Southeast, southern Appalachians, and the Upper Tennessee Valley through Friday. Steeper areas of southern Appalachians could see landslides. “Considerable to locally catastrophic flash and urban flooding is likely for northwestern and northern Florida and the Southeast through Friday,” the hurricane center said. TRACKING MAP: Where and when will Hurricane Helene hit Florida? Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Isaac is forecast to become a hurricane within days, although it will be no threat to land. As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Isaac was 820 miles east-northeast of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, moving east at 12 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 70 miles from the storm’s center. It is expected to move east to east-northeast over the open waters of the Atlantic. Hurricane season runs from June 1-Nov. 30, but the height of storm production runs from mid-August into October. Orlando Sentinel staff writer Jeffrey Schweers contributed to this report, which was supplemented by Information from the Associated Press and Fresh Take Florida. This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.