Helene was a Category 1 hurricane in the Caribbean Sea Wednesday morning Eastern time, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. The hurricane had sustained wind speeds of 80 miles per hour.

Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater are outside the forecast cone for Hurricane Helene, but the region will experience hurricane-force winds and high storm surges. Here’s the latest forecast

Here's how you can track the hurricane's course with interactive tools as it picks up speed heading into Florida's panhandle.