Two ‘Devastating’ Hurricanes Could Hit North America in Under 72 Hours

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Two major hurricanes could make "devastating" landfalls in North America in less than 72 hours should an Atlantic storm continue to strengthen.

Hurricane John made landfall on Mexico's southern Pacific coast late Monday as a Category 3 storm, with winds of up to 120 mph. On Mexico's eastern side, a storm continues to strengthen in the Caribbean, with meteorologists warning it could intensify into Hurricane Helene later this week.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Helene formed on Tuesday morning and is expected to make landfall in Florida's Big Bend region on Wednesday or Thursday.

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One weather-modeling system has predicted that Helene could be a massive Category 5 storm with winds over 155 mph, but other models suggest a weaker storm, Newsweek previously reported. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) and National Weather Service offices in the storm's forecast region are warning that Helene could be classified as a Category 3 or higher, making it a major hurricane.

Trees bend in the tropical storm wind along North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard as Hurricane Irma hits the southern part of Florida on September 10, 2017. Two major hurricanes could hit North America in less... Trees bend in the tropical storm wind along North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard as Hurricane Irma hits the southern part of Florida on September 10, 2017. Two major hurricanes could hit North America in less than 72 hours this week. More Chip Somodevilla/Getty Newsweek reached out to the NHC by email for comment.

Extreme weather chaser Colin McCarthy posted on X (formerly Twitter): "North America could see two devastating landfalls from Category 3+ hurricanes in under 72 hours. Hurricane John is rapidly intensifying in the Eastern Pacific and is expected to slam into Oaxaca, Mexico tomorrow as a major hurricane, possibly making landfall as a Category 4 storm."

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Shortly after McCarthy's post, John made landfall as a Category 3, according to the NHC's Eastern Pacific office. The hurricane has since weakened to a tropical storm, but the NHC warned it will continue to bring life-threatening flash floods and mudslides to southern Mexico.

"The storm is extremely slow moving and could drop 20-50 inches of rain, causing catastrophic flooding," McCarthy said. "Potential Tropical Cyclone 9, soon to be Hurricane Helene, is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 in western Florida on Thursday, with the possibility of becoming a stronger hurricane not out of the question. Both could be billion-dollar disasters, bringing major impacts to millions of people."

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Earlier this year, weather experts warned of the high possibility of an above-average hurricane season, citing the climate pattern of El Niño and abnormally warm ocean surface temperatures. But as of mid-September, only seven named storms had originated in the Atlantic. The most recent was Tropical Storm Gordon, which weakened into remnants out at sea without making landfall.

On Tuesday, Tropical Storm Helene marked the eighth named storm.

In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a forecast predicting 17 to 25 total named storms with winds of 39 mph or higher.

"Of those, 8 to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 4 to 7 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). Forecasters have a 70% confidence in these ranges," the forecast said.

In August, the NOAA updated its forecast and expects 17 to 24 named storms this season.

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