Tropical Weather Latest: Tropical Storm Helene forms in Caribbean, Tropical Storm John weakens

Two major weather systems are bringing heavy rain, high winds and more to Mexico's southern Pacific coast on one side and the Caribbean on the other.

Tropical Storm John struck Mexico late Monday with life-threatening flood potential after growing into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours. It came ashore near the town of Punta Maldonado before weakening back to tropical storm status early Tuesday and was expected to weaken rapidly. Still, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that the storm’s slow pace and heavy rains could cause potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Helene formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday after bringing heavy rains and big waves to the Cayman Islands. Forecasters warned the storm could strengthen into a major hurricane en route to the southeast U.S. Hurricane watches were in effect for Florida’s Tampa Bay and from Englewood to Indian Pass, as well as for eastern Mexico from Cabo Catoche to Tulum and for Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province.

Follow AP's coverage of tropical weather at https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes.

Here's the latest:

The U.S. National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane warnings for northwestern Florida’s coastline and part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as Tropical Storm Helene approaches the area.

Helene is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Wednesday and could become a major hurricane Thursday.

Areas of western Cuba and Florida, including Tampa Bay, were under hurricane watches Tuesday evening. A tropical storm warning was issued for parts of Cuba and Florida’s southwestern coastline, including the Florida Keys.

A storm surge warning was in effect for Florida’s Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and from Indian Pass south to Flamingo. Florida and Georgia’s eastern coasts, from Palm Beach to the Savannah River, were under a tropical storm watch.

Tropical Storm Helene prompted NASA and SpaceX to bump Thursday’s planned astronaut launch to at least Saturday.

Although Helene was expected to hit clear across the state, high wind and heavy rain were expected at Cape Canaveral.

SpaceX will launch two astronauts to the International Space Station, along with two empty seats reserved for the Boeing Starliner test pilots who have been up there since June. Their problem-plagued Boeing capsule returned to Earth without them earlier this month, so SpaceX will bring them back to Earth next year.

The postponement follows President Joe Biden ordering federal assistance for Florida and approving its state of emergency declaration.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday afternoon approved Florida's state of emergency declaration. He also ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Helene that began Monday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 61 of the state’s 67 counties ahead of the storm expected to become Hurricane Helene. The governor continues to urge residents across much of the state to prepare for potentially significant impacts, from the rural Panhandle region down the Gulf Coast to southwest Florida. The storm is expected to arrive as soon as late Thursday.

“We’re anticipating impacts, I mean, 100, 200 miles (161 to 322 kilometers) outside the eye of the storm, you could see with winds and you could see with surge,” DeSantis said. “We are going to see significant impacts no matter what happens.”

DeSantis said the storm is reminiscent of Hurricane Michael, a category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many residents off guard before plowing a path of destruction across the western Panhandle. Communities that are still rebuilding from previous storms could get battered again, DeSantis warned.

Hal Summers is taking no chances as experts warned that a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea could strengthen into a major hurricane.

The restaurant worker in Mexico Beach, Florida, was headed inland Tuesday to stay with a friend.

In 2018, he barely survived Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 hurricane, which rapidly intensified and caught residents off guard before plowing a destructive path across the western Florida Panhandle.

When it hit, water began to rise inside his parents’ home. Summers waded through it with his cat in his arms to get to safety. Their house and his home were destroyed.

This time, he plans to ride out the storm in the town of Marianna.

He said, “That was such a traumatic experience that that is not the place I needed to be for myself.”

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If Tropical Storm Helene follows the same paths as two previous hurricanes that hit Florida in the past year, the state will have a quicker recovery and won’t take as big an economic hit, Florida’s chief financial officer said Tuesday.

That’s because Hurricane Idalia, which hit Florida in August 2023, and Hurricane Debby, which came ashore last month, took down vulnerable structures and trees that would have caused debris, said Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.

Both storms made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, where some models have Helen making landfall.

“When Idalia hit, debris was everywhere. When Debby hit, the debris wasn’t as great,” Patronis said during a news conference at a fire station in St. Johns County, Florida.

Patronis urged Floridians to take photos and videos of their homes to help ease the process if they need to make claims with their insurance companies because of storm damage.

“Your house may be a total loss, but now you have video evidence,” Patronis said. “You will have video evidence of what that claim needs in it so that you can be made whole.”

ATLANTA — gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency in Georgia ahead of Tropical Storm Helene's potential impact

Kemp said the state would open its emergency operations center and designate 500 members of the National Guard who could be called up for active service as needed. Kemp also suspended some rules about limits on commercial trucking operations and declared that rules against price gouging are in effect.

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on Tropical Storm Helene and his administration is in touch with officials from states in the storm, the White House said on Tuesday.

“Federal resources and personnel are prepositioned, including generators, food, and water, along with search and rescue and power restoration teams. At the direction of the President, FEMA has also deployed teams to Florida and Alabama to embed with local emergency response personnel to support their efforts, as needed,” White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said in a statement.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M University postponed its upcoming college football game against Alabama A&M because of Tropical Storm Helene.

The Rattlers rescheduled the game for Friday, Nov. 29, in anticipation of Helene strengthening into a major hurricane Wednesday while moving north toward the United States. Several models have Helene making landfall just south of Tallahassee.

Florida State, meanwhile, might need to adjust its travel schedule before playing at Southern Methodist University on Saturday.

“We’re continuing to track that. There’s still a lot of information (to come),” Seminoles coach Mike Norvell said Tuesday. “Today is a big day for gaining more information of what could be our reality. I feel good about the plans that we have. I feel good about any potential adjustments, if necessary. But it’s something that we’re absolutely tracking.”

Helene formed into a tropical storm Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. Hurricane watches were issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and a stretch of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the Florida Keys.

MEXICO CITY — Authorities in Mexico are offering free ferry service to move tourists off the low-lying coastal island of Holbox. The offer was made Tuesday by Mara Lezama, the governor of the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo, home to resorts like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Holbox is known among tourists for its tranquil, shallow waters and flocks of flamingos. It is easily flooded.

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Helene formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea and could strengthen into a major hurricane while moving north toward the U.S., forecasters said.

Hurricane watches have been issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and a stretch of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the Florida Keys.

The storm was located 170 miles (275 kilometers) southeast of the western tip of Cuba and had sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). It could strengthen into Hurricane Helene as it approaches the Gulf Coast.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in dozens of counties before the storm's arrival.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 61 of the state’s 67 counties ahead of the storm expected to become Hurricane Helene. DeSantis is urging residents across a broad swath of the state to prepare for potentially significant impacts, from the rural Panhandle region down the Gulf Coast to southwest Florida.

“We’re anticipating impacts, I mean, 100, 200 miles (161 to 322 kilometers) outside the eye of the storm, you could see with winds and you could see with surge,” DeSantis said. “We are going to see significant impacts no matter what happens.”

In a Tuesday morning update from the state’s emergency operations center in Tallahassee, DeSantis said it’s telling that forecasters are already projecting the storm system may become a major hurricane — even before it’s technically formed into a tropical storm.

DeSantis said the storm is reminiscent of Hurricane Michael, a category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many residents off guard before plowing a path of destruction across the western Panhandle. Communities that are still rebuilding from previous storms could get battered again, DeSantis warned.

“The Big Bend and Panhandle should be especially prepared for direct impact,” DeSantis said.

PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico — Two people are dead after former hurricane John barreled into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, blowing tin roofs off houses, triggering mudslides and toppling scores of trees, officials said Tuesday.

John grew into a major hurricane in a matter of hours Monday and made landfall about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east of the resort of Acapulco before declining to a tropical storm after moving inland.

John came ashore near the town of Punta Maldonado late Monday as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph). It weakened back to tropical storm status early Tuesday with maximum sustained wind speeds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was expected to weaken rapidly.

Evelyn Salgado, the governor of the coastal state of Guerrero, said two people died when the storm sent a mudslide crashing into their house on the remote mountain of Tlacoachistlahuaca (TLAH-ko-chis-tla-waka), further from the coast.

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Heavy rains and big waves lashed the Cayman Islands on Tuesday as forecasters warned that a nearby cluster of thunderstorms could soon become a major hurricane en route to the southeast U.S.

Hurricane watches were in effect Tuesday for Florida’s Tampa Bay and from Englewood to Indian Pass, as well as for eastern Mexico from Cabo Catoche to Tulum and for Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province. Hurricane conditions could be possible in parts of Cuba and Mexico early Wednesday and in parts of Florida late Wednesday and early Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“Now is the time to start preparing. If you’re in an evacuation zone, you should evacuate,” said Lisa Bucci, a hurricane specialist at the center. “Don’t be fooled by the way the storm looks at the moment. We are expecting it to rapidly intensify.”

She said people in regions under watches and warnings should be prepared to lose power and should have enough food and water for at least three days.

The disturbance is expected to move “over extremely deep and warm waters” that would fuel its intensification.

The disturbance is expected to become Tropical Storm Helene on Tuesday and then strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane before approaching the northeast Gulf Coast.

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A person walks in the rain after the passing of Hurricane John in Marquelia, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)

Sandbags are filled at a public site while residents prepare their homes for potential flooding, Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as Tropical Storm Helene approaches. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Karl Bohlmann, left, and Tangi Bohlmann, of Tarpon Springs, collect sandbags at a public site while residents prepare their homes for potential flooding, Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as the Tropical Storm Helene approaches. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

This image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a cluster of storms located south of the Cayman Islands which are expected to strengthen in upcoming days, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image taken at 6:10pm ET shows Hurricane John near southern Mexico on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

Boats are stored on the beach for protection ahead of the anticipated arrival of Tropical Storm John in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who authorities say staked out Donald Trump for 12 hours on his golf course in Florida and wrote of his desire to kill him was indicted Tuesday on an attempted assassination charge.

Ryan Wesley Routh had been initially charged with two federal firearms offenses. The upgraded charges contained in a five-count indictment reflect the Justice Department's assessment that he methodically plotted to kill the Republican nominee, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery surrounding Trump's West Palm Beach golf course on an afternoon Trump was playing on it. Routh left behind a note in which he described his intention, prosecutors said.

Court records show the case has been assigned to Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed federal judge who generated intense scrutiny for her handling of a criminal case charging Trump with illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. She dismissed that case in July, a decision now being appealed by special counsel Jack Smith's team.

The attempted assassination indictment had been foreshadowed during a court hearing Monday in which prosecutors successfully argued for the 58-year-old Routh to remain behind bars as a flight risk and a threat to public safety.

They alleged that he had written of his plans to kill Trump in a handwritten note months before his Sept. 15 arrest in which he referred to his actions as a failed “assassination attempt on Donald Trump” and offered $150,000 for anyone who could “finish the job.” That note was in a box that Routh had apparently dropped off at the home of an unidentified witness months before his arrest.

The person opened the letter, took a photograph of the front page of the letter, addressed “Dear World,” and contacted law enforcement after the attempted assassination.

Prosecutors also said Routh kept in his car a handwritten list of venues in August, September and October at which Trump had appeared or was expected to be present.

The charge of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate carries a potential life sentence in the event of a conviction. Other charges in the indictment include assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and the two original firearms charges he faced last week.

The potential shooting was thwarted when a member of Trump’s Secret Service protective detail spotted a partially obscured man's face and a rifle barrel protruding through the golf course fence line, ahead of where Trump was playing. The agent fired in the direction of Routh, who sped away and was stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.

Routh did not fire any rounds and did not have Trump in his line of sight, officials have said, but he left behind a digital camera, a backpack, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope and a plastic bag containing food.

The arrest came two months after Trump was shot and wounded in the ear in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service has acknowledged failings leading up to that shooting but has said that security worked as it should have to thwart a potential attack in Florida.

The initial charges Routh faced in a criminal complaint accused him of illegally possessing his gun in spite of multiple felony convictions and with possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. It is common for prosecutors to bring preliminary and easily provable charges upon an arrest and then add more serious offenses later as the investigation develops.

The FBI had said at the outset that it was investigating the episode as an apparent assassination attempt, but the absence of an immediate charge to that effect opened the door for Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to announce his own state-level investigation that he said could produce more serious charges.

Trump, seeking to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the investigation and the Justice Department more broadly, complained Monday — before the attempted assassination charge was brought — that federal prosecutors were “mishandling and downplaying” the case by bringing charges that were a “slap on the wrist.”

Asked at an unrelated press conference about Trump’s criticism Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department “would spare no resources to ensure accountability” in the case.

“All of our top priority should be ensuring that accountability occurs in this case and that those who run for office and their families are safe and protected,” Garland said.

The Justice Department also said Monday that authorities who searched Routh's car found six cellphones, including one that showed a Google search of how to travel from Palm Beach County to Mexico.

A notebook found in his car was filled with criticism of the Russian and Chinese governments and notes about how to join the war on behalf of Ukraine.

In addition, prosecutors have cited a book authored by Routh last year in which he lambasted Trump’s approach to foreign policy, including in Ukraine. In the book, he wrote that Iran was “free to assassinate Trump” for having left the nuclear deal.

Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer and Curt Anderson contributed to this report.

Man who staked out Trump at Florida golf course charged with attempting an assassination

Man who staked out Trump at Florida golf course charged with attempting an assassination

Ryan Wesley Routh takes part in a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)