In a Category 4 hurricane, winds are between 130 and 156 miles per hour. In a Category 5, the exceed 157 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The ferocious storm could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene’s devastation 12 days ...
Forecasters warn the immense and powerful storm could generate “life-threatening” storm surge of up to 15 feet in a region that's particularly flood-prone.
Because of the way storm surge can quickly inundate coastal locations and penetrate well inland, it’s typically one of the deadliest threats from a hurricane.