ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Beachside residents recovering from Hurricane Helene now have one more thing to worry about, as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports low to medium levels of red tide off the Pinellas County coastline.

This time of year is considered peak red tide season and low levels were already detected offshore ahead of the hurricane.

University of South Florida Associate professor Yonggang Liu said it was possible the storm would break it up and cause it to disperse. However, tracking models used at the university’s Ocean Circulation Lab show instead, it's now traveling north, with a presence in the water from Pass-a-Grille to points past the Dunedin Causeway.

“Yesterday’s satellite shows it’s now even offshore from Honeymoon Island,” said Liu, who added the excess nutrients entering the water as the result of storm runoff could make it worse.

 “There’s red tide cells already existing on our coast and it could elevate it, given the favorable environment conditions of nutrients,” said Liu.

The area saw similar conditions following Hurricane Ian in 2022, after which red tide persisted for months. 

Liu said there’s a good chance it could happen again in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

“This is a biological process. It could grow over time,” said Liu. “I would expect a bloom is possible.”

While the county is not yet linking the hurricane to the increasing presence of red tide, officials are warning residents in beach communities of potential respiratory issues, especially when winds pick up.

Visit the FWC website for red tide updates and a map with those locations.