THE Hurricane Helene continues to strengthen as it heads toward the US Gulf Coast.

The Category 1 storm is set to rapidly intensify into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane by the time it reaches Florida on Thursday afternoon local time. Official forecasts describe its potential effects as “catastrophic” and “life-threatening”.

The governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia declared states of emergency in anticipation of the storm’s arrival.

Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and the tourist resorts of Cancun and Cozumel escaped major damage when the hurricane made landfall on the northeast coast but failed to make landfall.

Torrential rains caused flooding in parts of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.

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Videos uploaded by tourists and locals in Cancun showed buses trying to drive through flooded streets in the area where many of the city’s hotels are located. However, the state governor said there were no casualties and officials said power was being restored to areas where it had been cut.

At 0600 GMT, Helene’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 140 km/h.

The US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the Category 1 hurricane was moving north at 12 mph (19 km/h) through the Gulf of Mexico and was expected to strengthen quickly, with strong damaging winds and storm surge hitting the northeast Gulf Coast.

Hurricanes need sea surface temperatures above 27C to fuel them.

At a press conference, the mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, also warned residents to be prepared.

“We don’t have any more time to wait,” said Mayor John Daley.

“We urge you to be weather aware as we stand on the brink of what could be … a historic event.”

In Georgia, all public schools in Atlanta will be closed Thursday and Friday because of the storm.