A state of emergency has been declared in Florida where evacuations are underway along the Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Helene is expected to become a major hurricane before it makes landfall. Residents in the storm's potential path have been told to prepare for up to a week without electricity.

Evacuations are underway and time is running out for Floridians to prepare for Tropical Storm Helene, which threatens to hit as the strongest storm to make landfall in the United States in over a year.

“Helene’s wind field will be so large that even passing 325 miles west of Miami on Thursday is not enough to keep the entire #Florida peninsula from being placed under a Tropical Storm Warning,” John Morales, hurricane specialist at NBC5, posted on Twitter Wednesday morning.