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CHARLOTTE, N.C - As Hurricane Helene approaches the U.S., the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina said it'll welcome evacuees who need to ride out the storm.
The speedway has opened its campgrounds off Interstate 85. People are encouraged to check in at the Camping World Racing Resort office (6600 Bruton Smith Blvd, Concord, NC 28027).
What's the latest on Hurricane Helene?
Helene strengthened into a hurricane Wednesday, and forecasters warned that the storm would intensify as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico on a path to Florida.
RELATED: Hurricane Helene tracker: Live updates as storm moves into Gulf, set to make landfall in Florida
The storm had already prompted residents to evacuate, schools to close and officials to declare emergencies in Florida and Georgia.
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Hurricane Helene expected to be a category 3+
Helene reached hurricane strength Wednesday morning as it continues to undergo rapid intensification along its journey into the Gulf of Mexico, where it is aiming for a destructive landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday. LiveNOW from FOX host Christina Matino spoke to former St. Petersburg MAyor Rick Kriseman about the potential impacts to the area.
The hurricane was about 500 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, and had sustained winds of 80 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
Forecasters said it is expected to become a major hurricane with its center making landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida’s northwestern coast as soon as late Thursday.
What impact could Helene have?
In the mountains of North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina, emergency officials are warning of potentially catastrophic flooding from back-to-back blows of heavy rain.
The National Weather Service is predicting up to 15 inchescould fall over the next three days — first from a front over the region and then from Helene itself as the storm rushes through.
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Storm chaser Mike Boylan gears up for Helene
As we continue to track Hurricane Helene, we caught up with viral storm chaser Mike Boylan, who runs Mike's Weather Page, as he prepares to chase Hurricane Helene.
The impact could be similar to Tropical Storm Fred in 2021, when a heavy rain event just before combined with the tropical storm rains to cause floods that killed six people and damaged close to 1,000 homes and two dozen bridges.