Will Hurricane Helene affect Disney World, Myrtle Beach, cruises?

Hurricane Helene strengthened into an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane” before making landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast late Thursday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

USA TODAY reports that the storm made landfall around 11:10 pm local time near Perry, Florida, about 50 miles southeast of Tallahassee. Helene had sustained winds of about 140 mph, making it the first known Category 4 storm to hit Florida’s Big Bend region since records began in 1851.

Helene has weakened to a tropical storm as it moved through Georgia early Friday. However, the system is still unleashing life-threatening storm surges, winds and flooding rain hours after it made landfall.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee said further weakening is expected as the storm moves inland.

Are any popular tourist destinations closing as Hurricane Helene barrels through the US? Let’s take a look.

What to know about Hurricane Helene

Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane at around 11:10 pm ET near Perry, Florida, with 140 mph winds. The storm maintained hurricane strength for several hours as it pushed inland across northern Florida and into Georgia.

By 5 am ET, the National Hurricane Center said Helene was a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 mph. It was located 40 miles east of Macon, Georgia, and 100 miles southeast of Atlanta and was racing north at 30 mph.

At least one fatality has been reported in Florida and two fatalities have been reported in central Georgia after a mobile home overturned in a suspected tornado Thursday. Officials fear that more fatalities may be discovered on Friday.

Over 2.5 million homes and businesses across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina are also facing power outages as of Friday morning.

Helene is currently tied as the 14th most powerful hurricane to hit anywhere in the US and the seventh most powerful hurricane to hit Florida, according to National Hurricane Center data.

How will Hurricane Helene impact Caribbean cruises?

USA Today reports that the following ships and cruise lines have changed itineraries to avoid Hurricane Helene. Click here for the latest information.

Carnival Cruise Line (Carnival Paradise ship, Carnival Valor and Carnival Horizon).
Royal Caribbean line (Independence of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas).
MSC Cruises (MSC Seascape ship and MSC Seashore ship).
Disney Cruise Line (Disney Fantasy ship).

How will Hurricane Helene affect Disney World and other theme parks in Florida?

Walt Disney World Resort remains open under normal conditions, per its website. However, some experiences were canceled or unavailable on Thursday. The park does not state whether there will be any closures or cancellations for Friday or the upcoming weekend.

For severe weather updates, visit disneyworld.disney.go.com.

If the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane warning for the Orlando area within seven days of a guest’s scheduled arrival date, they may reschedule or cancel their Walt Disney Travel Co. Disney Resort hotel packages and most room-only reservations (booked directly with Disney) . Per the theme park’s FAQ page, there will be no cancellation or change fees.

Customers who purchase Disney tickets through a third-party site will still be responsible for any nonrefundable payments and cancellation or change fees assessed by those suppliers.

The policy also applies to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort if a hurricane warning is issued for those destinations, the site states.

Universal Orlando Resort’s severe weather policy similarly offers penalty-free rebooking and cancellations for vacation packages, hotel stays and tickets booked directly through Universal in the event of a tropical storm, hurricane warning or state of emergency declaration within seven days of a guest’s arrival. For now, the resort is operating as usual.

SeaWorld Orlando closed at 2 pm Thursday due to Hurricane Helene but plans to reopen by 10 am Friday. The park has a year-round, Weather-or-Not Assurance program for extreme weather, which guarantees customers will receive the value of their park admission for weather events such as rain, lightning, extreme heat, wind, snow, hail and more.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island Water Park also closed Thursday due to the Category 4 storm but plan to reopen for regular operating hours on Friday.

Are airports in Florida closed due to Hurricane Helene?

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, airports in Florida are operating normally as of Friday. All airports in Florida remain open and are not experiencing any significant arrival or departure delays.

However, online flight tracker FlightAware reports that over 1,000 US flights are canceled for Friday. Flights arriving to or departing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Tampa, Florida and Jacksonville, Florida appear to be affected.

Was your flight canceled? Click here to see if you’re eligible for a refund.

How will Hurricane Helene affect Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head and other destinations?

The National Weather Service has issued tornado and tropical storm warnings and watches for parts of Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. On Wednesday afternoon, a dire warning was issued by the NWS warning residents that inland flooding could be a deadly factor in these states even after the initial hurricane passes.

Portions of Charleston could be inundated into Friday morning, USA Today reports. As the storm moves inland, strong winds could hit parts of the state, with many residents under a power outage risk, according to AccuWeather.

Significant storm surge and coastal flooding is expected in Georgia with portions of Savannah possibly seeing flooding into Friday.

How will Hurricane Helene affect the Smoky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains and more?

While the heaviest inland flooding risk is expected in the Appalachian Mountain region, a marginal risk of flooding extends north to the southern parts of Indiana, Ohio and across to the Washington, DC metro area, according to the National Weather Service.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency in preparation for Helene’s effects, noting that the western parts of the state could see significant rainfall and flooding on Friday and Saturday.

Several visitor centers, roads, campgrounds and trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are temporarily closed due to heavy winds and rain from Helene.

When is the Atlantic hurricane season?

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.

The season’s peak is Sept. 10, and the most activity happens from mid-August to mid-October, according to the Hurricane Center.

Contributing: USA TODAY; Fort Myers News-Press; Tallahassee Democrat; Reuters.