Live Updates: Hurricane Helene Intensifies as It Approaches Florida Coast

 Forecasters expect the storm to keep strengthening and expanding before reaching the Gulf Coast late Thursday.

 Here’s the latest update on the storm:

Hurricane Helene is advancing through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, where residents are preparing for extreme rainfall, destructive winds, and dangerous storm surge as the storm nears landfall.

Forecasters predict that Helene could escalate to a Category 4 hurricane or higher before reaching the coast late Thursday. The storm’s large size could result in widespread impacts, with heavy rains potentially affecting areas as far as Atlanta and the Appalachians.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri has urged residents in low-lying areas to comply with evacuation orders, as storm surge poses a significant threat even if wind and rain are not severe. “There’s still way too many people in Zone A,” he warned.

Despite the evacuation orders, some residents, like 83-year-old Richard Masey, are opting to stay put. "I’m 83 — I don’t want to move all that stuff," he said while walking his dog, Artemis, in a Crystal River neighborhood early Thursday.