Helene will be felt in Brevard.
We continue to monitor Helene as it moves up the Gulf of Mexico. Helene strengthened into a hurricane with 80 mph winds and it will continues to intensify as it moves north and accelerates through the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall Thursday evening. Florida Public Radio Emergency Network meteorologist William Maxham says that this is a large storm that will impact the entire state, far away from the center.
“as Helene moves north tonight, its outer rainbands will stretch across the peninsula with tropical storm force winds, heavy rains and some risk of isolated spin up tornadoes. Tomorrow will bring the us the worst of the storm with deteriorating conditions across central and north Florida. Helene will likely make landfall Thursday evening in the Big Bend as a major hurricane. The time to prepare is ending and now it's time to shelter in place."
A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for Brevard County. We can expect winds of 30-40 miles per hour, gusting up to 55 miles per hour starting Thursday morning. Along the coast, increasing, battering surf from late tonight through Thursday night will cause dangerous beach conditions. Run-up to the dune line and sea walls will result in beach erosion.
NASA crewed flight to ISS postponed to Saturday.
The launch of two crew members to the International Space Station has been delayed to no earlier than Saturday. NASA and SpaceX say the targeted launch time is 1:17PM Saturday, weather permitting.
House passes NASA authorization bill.
Good news for NASA. In Washington, the House passed a new NASA authorization bill this week that would largely keep the agency on course in its human spaceflight and science programs. In remarks on the House floor, the chair of the House Science Committee called the bill essential to keep NASA on track to return humans to the moon through the Artemis program ahead of Chinese lunar efforts. The bill now goes to the US Senate.
New lifeguard funding plan approved.
The Brevard County Commission voted Tuesday on how to fund lifeguard services for the upcoming fiscal year. After much debate over who would cover the costs, the commission decided to allow cities to continue paying the amount they have traditionally contributed. The decision came as a relief to the City of Cocoa Beach, which would have had to pay 10 times more for lifeguard services. In the end, county officials agreed to adjust the budget, ensuring cities wouldn't face a significant financial burden. For now, lifeguard services in Brevard County will remain unchanged for the next fiscal year.
Florida Tech ranks among the best.
US News has compiled their list of the top 300 universities in the nation. And Florida Tech is among 13 Florida schools to make the list at #231. The number one university in the country: Princeton.
Florida the 2nd-best destination for thrill seekers.
Florida has been named the second-best destination in the United States for thrill seekers. That’s according to a study that tallied the state’s number of cycling routes, places to kayak, amusement parks and more. According to BuyCycle.com, Florida has 36,000 cycling routes, 2,600 mountain biking trails, and 4,000 places to paddle. Also helping Florida come in at #2 were the state’s 42 amusement parks, and 22 skydiving centers. Who can beat that? California.
