With Hurricane Helene expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida Thursday evening, ports throughout the area have already shut down and closed shipping channels, while couriers are temporarily halting their service.
The storm was upgraded to a Category 2 Thursday morning, with maximum sustained winds at nearly 105 mph and gusts reaching as high as 125 mph as of 11 a.m. However, Helene is projected to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, potentially approaching Category 4 status.
An AccuWeather report says Helene will hit the Florida panhandle between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., projecting it to have maximum sustained winds of 130 to 135 mph, with much stronger gusts to at least 150 mph. Total rainfall through Friday is forecast to be up to 18 inches. “Catastrophic and deadly” storm surges could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level in Florida’s Big Bend, as well as the remainder of the state’s west coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.
While UPS says its facilities in the southern U.S., specifically Florida, are providing pickup and delivery services as conditions permit, “some delays are possible.”
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FedEx says its Express segment has no service across 635 ZIP codes in Georgia, Florida and Alabama, while another 241 ZIP codes in Florida and Georgia have limited service. FedEx Ground has no service in 265 ZIP codes in Florida and offers limited service in another 91 ZIP codes in the state.
FedEx Freight won’t operate in 281 ZIP codes in Florida and has limited operations across 1,057 ZIP codes in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.
The company said delays and disruptions could be possible for inbound and outbound shipments in affected areas depending on local conditions and restrictions.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) also suspended retail and delivery operations across seven ZIP codes Thursday, before closing four processing and distribution centers across Tampa, Fort Myers and Sarasota. No drop shipments are accepted at those areas, but two alternate sites in Orlando will accept them.
All sites will resume normal operations at 4 a.m. on Friday.
Ahead of a probable East and Gulf Coast port strike on Oct. 1 that could bring cargo movement to a standstill, some hubs in Florida will get some disruption of their own due to Hurricane Helene.
Port Tampa Bay announced Wednesday night that its shipping channels have closed to inbound and outbound vessel traffic. At 8 p.m., the Coast Guard set port condition “Zulu,” an indicator that sustained gale force winds of 39 to 54 mph would reach the hub within 12 hours.
Landside operations would continue as long as safely possible to ensure gas and other fuels can move out of the port to consumers.
Maritime operations have been halted at many other Florida ports, including Manatee, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Panama City and Port St. Joe.
On Thursday morning, Zulu was set for the Port of Jacksonville (JaxPort) as well, prohibiting vessel movements both in and out of the port. All terminal gates will remain open and landside operations will continue throughout the duration of the weather event, the port says.
The Ports of Miami and Everglades are currently open and operating, and not expected to close.
Port Canaveral, known as the busiest cruise port in the state, is also closed, and all waterside and ship-side port activities are shut down. According to MarineTraffic data, there was a significant 70 percent drop in passenger ship arrivals this week.
Tampa International Airport suspended operations at 2 a.m. Thursday, while Florida’s other international airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville and Orlando remain open and operational.
On late Thursday, hurricane-force winds will penetrate inland over portions of northern Florida and southern Georgia. Strong wind gusts are also likely farther north across portions of northern Georgia and the Carolinas.
The National Hurricane Center said it expects urban and flash flooding, including significant landslides, likely for northwestern and northern Florida and the southeastern U.S. through Friday.
Rainfall totals have already exceeded seven inches in parts of Florida and Georgia and nine inches in the Appalachian Mountains, according to AccuWeather.
“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” said the National Hurricane Center in its advisory.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 61 of 67 counties.
Helene is projected to be significantly larger than Hurricane Beryl in July, which forced the closure of major Texas ports including Houston, Corpus Christi and Galveston. That deadly storm knocked out power for nearly 3 million customers in the state.
The storm also outpaces that of Hurricane Debby, which made landfall as a Category 1 in Florida in August. It is also stronger than Hurricane Francine, which peaked at a Category 2 with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph after slamming Louisiana and the northern Gulf Coast in early September.
