Hurricane Helene

Helene was a major hurricane that made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida just before midnight on September 26th, 2024.

Helene’s journey started as a disturbance evolved into Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine on September 23rd, 2024 in the Caribbean Sea. The next day, PTC-9 was upgraded to Tropical Storm Helene.

On September 25th, 2024, Helene strengthened up to hurricane status as it began to move into the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical storm and hurricane warnings were issued ahead of Helene’s arrival throughout the southeast US, including most of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Helene underwent rapid intensification on September 26th, 2024, reaching its peak as category 4 hurricane that afternoon as it accelerated towards Florida. Wind speeds of 140 mph were present within the storm when it made landfall later that night.

Storm surge up to 15-20 feet was forecast for areas along the Florida Panhandle. Places in the Tampa Bay region saw record breaking rises in water levels.

After making landfall, Helene traversed north to the Mid-South region of the US, bringing along heavy rainfall and damaging winds. Catastrophic flooding occurred in parts of western North Carolina, with many roads and cities suffering extensive damage in the region.

By Oct. 2, the death toll from Helene had reached over 180, according to CNN. Over 1 million homes and businesses from Florida to West Virginia were still without power on Oct. 2, with the most in South Carolina.

In Asheville, 26 people are missing.

For more information, visit the National Hurricane Center.

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Contributions by: Josh Reiter

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