Hurricane Helene is strengthening as it moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico toward a forecast Thursday evening or early Friday morning landfall over Florida’s Big Bend Coast and is “expected to bring catastrophic winds and storm surge to the northeastern Gulf Coast,” the National Hurricane Center said early Thursday. “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the center urged.
Why do they say “could” at this point? The operative word here is “will”. Using “could” downplay the severity of this and, even if only slightly, lowers the likelihood that people who are in danger will evacuate. Using “could” is irresponsible at this point.