Florida residents have begun evacuating and taking other emergency measures as Hurricane Helene approaches, which experts say could be the strongest storm to hit the U.S. so far this season.

Helene officially reached hurricane status on Wednesday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center.

Helene, which formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, is expected to make landfall along the northeastern Gulf Coast on Thursday evening. The storm could reach Category 3 status in the next 36 hours, with sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph).

The greatest chance of landfall is along the eastern portion of the Florida Panhandle, including the Big Bend area, where “life-threatening” storm surge, flooding, rainfall and winds are expected, the National Hurricane Center said.

“Everyone in the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region needs to be prepared for the impacts of hurricanes,” AccuWeather’s chief hurricane expert Alex DaSilva told the Tallahassee Democrat.

“AccuWeather expert meteorologists expect this to be a major impact storm,” added AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter. “This could be the storm that the 2024 hurricane season is remembered for.”

President Joe Biden has already declared a federal emergency for the Sunshine State. On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded the emergency to 61 counties, CBS News reported.

Voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders are in effect in 13 provinces.

The mandatory evacuation order also applied to the University of Tampa, which ordered students to leave the building by 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Mobile home residents in particular were urged to flee to more stable locations ahead of the storm.

“It’s not safe (in mobile homes),” Florida emergency manager Kevin Guthrie said at a news conference, according to Florida Phoenix reporter Mitch Perry.

Helene is forecast to be particularly large and fast-moving, meaning storm surge, gusty winds, and heavy rainfall are likely to extend well beyond the storm’s center.

Georgia is also under a state of emergency, and states far inland, including Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, could see rainfall as a result of Helene, CBS reported.

Hal Summers of Mexico Beach told the newspaper he’s taking extra precautions this time around after he and his parents both lost their homes to Hurricane Michael, the Category 5 storm that tore through the western Florida Panhandle in 2018.

“That was such a traumatic experience that I didn’t need to be there,” said Summers, who recalled wading through the rising storm surge while holding his cat above his head.

Helene is approaching as Florida’s Big Bend continues to recover from a series of recent hurricanes.

Hurricane Debby hit the region in early August as a Category 1 storm. Rebuilding is still underway as the area prepares for the impact of Helene.

Idalia, a Category 3 hurricane, hit the west coast of Florida last year, causing record-breaking storm surges from Tampa to Bid Bend.