Much of the Southeast remains under a hurricane warning Wednesday as Florida and Georgia brace for Hurricane Helen. It is expected to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday near Big Bend, Florida.

The storm is expected to have severe impacts across much of West Florida and Georgia. Forecasts show a track that will bring the eye of the storm near Tallahassee, Florida and Atlanta before the remnant moves slightly westward in Tennessee.

This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Several storm warnings have been issued.

Strong winds and rain will affect Florida’s west coast as the storm makes landfall. Tampa International Airport (TPA) has already announced plans to halt operations while evacuations were ordered in various parts of Florida.

RELATED: Florida declares state of emergency in preparation for Hurricane Helen — here’s what you need to know

Forecasters are warning of tropical storm-force winds, heavy rain, lightning and possible tornadoes and flooding.

Travel operators are already making changes to prepare for the storm. Here’s what you need to know.

Which airlines and airports are affected?

TPA officials said Wednesday that the airport plans to close at 2 a.m. Thursday and will remain closed “until it can assess any damage after the storm.”

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) — where Allegiant Air operates commercial flights — also said it would close Thursday. The airport plans to reopen by Friday.

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It was not immediately clear how Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) would be affected. ATL is the busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic and is the headquarters and home hub of Delta Air Lines.

The airport sits on the border between Clayton and Fulton counties in Georgia, both of which were under a tropical storm watch on Wednesday; Georgia Emergency Management and the Homeland Security Agency warned residents to prepare to be without power for at least 72 hours. In A statement On Wednesday morning, the airport said it had a severe weather plan in place.

Delta issued a Travel waiver for passengers Friday, Sept. Scheduled to fly from or via ATL on the 27th; The waiver allows them to rebook travel for September 28 to October 1 without paying the fare difference. New flight bookings must be made by October 1.

The airline issued a broad waiver for travel to or from airports on most of the projected route, including cities in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mexico and Cuba. That waiver applies to travelers scheduled to fly from September 25 to 27. Travel must be rebooked and done by October 4.

Other airlines issued similar apologies before the storm. American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue each offered various waivers for travel scheduled between Wednesday and Friday, as did Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant.

If you’re scheduled to fly in the next few days, make sure you check your reservation and check in with your airline to understand your options.

In a statement, a Delta spokeswoman said the airline’s operations and customer teams in Atlanta “continue to monitor the projected path of Hurricane Helen and will make adjustments to flight schedules as needed.”

Will it affect cruise line operations?

Port Tampa Bay and Port Canaveral are currently open and conducting normal port operations. However, both ports are bracing for the storm and have advised that cruise schedules will be affected over the next few days.

In addition, several cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line, have changed their itineraries due to the storm.

Cruisers who plan to depart from those two ports in the next few days should call their cruise line for updates on Hurricane Helen’s potential impact on their itinerary.

Any impact on theme parks?

So far, several parks in the Orlando and Tampa area — including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Universal’s Volcano Bay water park — have decided to close Thursday. Universal’s remaining parks are currently operating under normal and supervised conditions.

At Disney World, only Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park and its miniature golf course are closed on Thursdays. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has also been canceled Thursday night, with park hours extended from 6 to 8 p.m. for regular guests.

Legoland Florida Resort and SeaWorld Orlando are currently operating normally.

Related: Disney World handled thousands of guests during recent hurricane: Here’s how the theme park handled the storm

Is it safe to travel to Florida and Georgia?

If you have an upcoming trip to Florida or Georgia scheduled, stay ahead of developments in your particular area. It may be best to reschedule the journey.

Airlines have issued travel alerts offering free changes and more flexibility, so if you have Thursday or Friday flights booked, it may make sense to rebook for a later time or cancel altogether. Florida has already declared a state of emergency for 41 of the state’s 67 counties; Georgia has also declared a state of emergency in parts of that state.

There is already a flood watch for Atlanta. If the storm makes a big impact there, it could mess up flights around the country because ATL is a huge hub.

The bottom line

If you have travel booked in the next few days, you should pay close attention to airport delays and cancellations as a major storm could affect travel across the country. If you have plans to travel to Georgia or Florida, it may be best to reschedule or cancel altogether. If you are traveling to a destination that could potentially be affected, you should make alternative plans now.

Airlines have activated more flexible change and cancellation policies. If you have booked a trip with For credit cards that provide some built-in trip insurance, check the terms of those benefits to find out what expenses you may be reimbursed for in the event of any non-refundable charges.

Although it goes without saying, you should not travel to any hurricane-affected part of the state where officials have asked people to stay off the roads.

We will continue to update this developing story as the storm progresses.

For more helpful tips on navigating travel during hurricane season, read:

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