Helene was never predicted to hit Tampa — it’s eye made landfall 180 miles north. But at more than 200-miles wide and winds whipping at nearly 140 mph near its core, it created surges that hit all along the Florida peninsula’s Gulf Coast. Most weren’t deadly, but on Pinellas’ barrier islands, the water wall came from all directions.

Storm surge impacts mainly coastal communities, but some inland communities could get inundated by the massive amounts of water.

It has been one week since Hurricane Helene⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ changed the lives of tens of thousands of people across the Tampa Bay area.

The current forecast calls for the storm to strengthen to a high-end Category 2 hurricane by the time it reaches Florida, with 110 mph sustained winds. A Category 3 isn’t out of the question, as the initial forecast is on the cusp of category 3, and forecasters wrote that “some upward adjustments may be required.”

Less than 10 days after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, the state is bracing for another potentially devastating blow from a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.