Early Thursday morning, Hurricane Helene was inching closer to Florida's coast with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, but was expected to have 130 mph winds before making landfall.
Forecasters believe the storm will undergo "rapid intensification" Thursday, leading to a surge in wind speed.
The National Hurricane Center wrote, "fairly low vertical wind shear and a moist mid- to lower- tropospheric air mass, should likely result in rapid intensification before landfall."
What is rapid intensification?
Rapid intensification is defined as an increase in the maximum sustained winds of a tropical cyclone of at least 35 mph in a 24-hour period.
In order for that rapid intensification to occur, a few ingredients are needed:
- Very warm sea temperatures - generally over 86 degrees
- Low wind shear, which means winds don't change speed or direction quickly with height in the atmosphere
- Plenty of humid air around
Storms can and do intensify rapidly. Michael intensified from a Category 3 storm with 115 mph winds to a Category 5 right before landfall.
National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham says taking notice of warnings and being able to act quickly is vital.
"When you look at the hurricanes, 150 mph or greater, that's hit this country in the last 100 years, every one of them, there's been nine of them total on record 150 mph or greater, the strongest storms, they were all tropical storms or less three days out. Shorten your plans. We have to have conversations about shortening our plans. We gotta be ready to go. These storms form quickly. They can rapidly intensify. You have to be able to take heed of those warnings and go where you need to go and stay safe really quickly," Graham said.