Forecasters warned residents along Florida’s Gulf coast of potential Hurricane Helene, which is expected to form in the next 48 hours and track toward an area somewhere between Tampa and Pensacola late in the week.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency for more than 40 counties as Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, which is expected to strengthen and become a hurricane, treks toward the Florida Peninsula this week.

The tropical system in the western Caribbean may not look like much yet, but don’t be fooled. History has shown the Gulf of Mexico can be a pressure cooker, turning systems like this one from wimpy windstorms to devastating monster storms almost overnight under the right conditions.