FLORIDA — Tropical Storm Helene developed in the Caribbean Sea Tuesday and will move into the Gulf of Mexico, where warmer waters will help strengthen the storm.

Helene is likely to become a major hurricane and track north, where it will make landfall on Thursday night somewhere between Apalachicola and Dixie County.

A Hurricane Watch is issued for the Gulf Coast of Florida from Englewood northward and westward to Indian Pass, including Tampa Bay.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency for 61 Florida counties ahead of the storm.

As counties prepare for impacts, many school districts are deciding whether to cancel classes.

In Central Florida, these counties have canceled classes because of the storm:

Sumter County

  • The Sumter County School District has canceled classes for Thursday and Friday. Any other school cancellations will be posted on the district’s website.

Orange County

  • Schools will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and all after-school activities must end by 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25. Any decision to close schools on Friday, Sept. 27 will be determined by the impact on Orange County and timing of the storm.

Osceola County

  • Schools and offices in the Osceola School District will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26. Employees should not report to work unless they deemed essential by their managers. The district will provide updates about Friday, Sept. 27, which already is a non-student day/teacher professional study day. 

Seminole County

  • Due to the anticipated effects of Tropical Storm Helene in our area, Seminole County Public Schools will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 for students. This also includes KidZone & Beyond and 21st Century childcare services. Officials said they will evaluate campus conditions after the significant effects of the storm pass, but they anticipate schools will return to session on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.

Lake County

  • Lake County schools and district offices will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26. After-school activities on Wednesday will continue as planned. District leaders will continue to monitor the storm. Tomorrow, after a mid-day briefing, they will determine a plan for schools for Friday.

Marion County

  • Marion County Public Schools will close Thursday for Helene. West Port High School will open Wednesday at 2 p.m. as a shelter for special needs residents, then at 4 p.m. for general sheltering. The school district says an update will be shared as soon as possible on a decision regarding Friday.

Volusia County

  • All schools and district offices will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26. In addition, all after-school activities except for Extended Day Enrichment Programs will be canceled Wednesday, Sept. 25. At this time, there are no changes to operations on Friday.

Flagler County

  • Flagler County Public Schools have not released a statement on Tropical Storm Helene at this time.

Brevard County

  • Brevard County Public Schools have not released a statement on Tropical Storm Helene at this time.

Colleges & Universities

Florida State University

  • FSU’s Tallahassee campus will close Wednesday, Sept. 25, due to Tropical Storm Helene. The closure begins at 7 a.m. and will continue until 11 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29. The university will resume normal operations at 12 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 30.

Florida A&M University

University of South Florida

The university canceled all classes beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 25, and will not resume them until Monday, Sept. 30.   

In addition, all USF campuses will be closed beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 25 and will remain closed through at least Friday, Sept. 27.  As of now, the university expects to reopen campuses and return to normal business operations (without classes) on Saturday, Sept. 28. A final decision on the operating status for Saturday, Sept. 28, will be shared with the university community on Friday, Sept. 27.  

Residence halls on the Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee campuses remain open. Residence halls in St. Petersburg will close beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 25. USF St. Petersburg residential students without a place to stay will be transported to the Tampa campus. 

USF Health clinical facilities will be open on Wednesday, Sept. 25 and will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26. A decision about Friday, Sept. 27, has not been made at this time. USF Health patients may call the USF Health appointments hotline at 813-821-8038 to reschedule.