Another storm system is taking aim at Florida, this time possibly the Panhandle with storm effects all along the Gulf Coast. Tropical Storm Helene, soon to be a hurricane, is sweeping up from the Caribbean Sea into extremely warm waters that are fuel for tropical cyclones.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said Florida is preparing for a direct hit from a major hurricane that could intensify quickly before it makes landfall in the Panhandle later this week. The National Hurricane Center predicted a tropical storm currently in the Gulf of Mexico will become Hurricane Helene as it moves north toward Florida by Thursday.

Helene officially developed into a named storm Tuesday and is expected to make landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane this week.

Florida residents are already evacuating and filling sandbags days ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Helene, which is forecast to rapidly intensify into a hurricane.

In addition to inhabitants of the Big Bend and Panhandle areas, residents from Fort Myers, Fla., to Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss., should remain on alert