After the destructive waves, it is important to prepare to keep people and belongings safe before the tropical storm arrives on Thursday morning. Experts say that by 5am on Thursday, Helene was already producing winds of 90 mph. The hurricane center forecasts that winds of at least 130 mph could occur later today, and these strong winds will worsen in the following hours. Although Florida is no stranger to tropical storms, Hurricane Helene is predicted to cause a lot of damage. Michael Lowry, a hurricane expert, has warned that this storm could be one of the largest in the Gulf of Mexico in the past hundred years. According to a tweet, only four storms in this century have been as large over the Gulf of Mexico as Helene is expected to be by tomorrow: Irma in 2017, Ike in 2008, Ivan in 2004, and Isidore in 2002.