09/26/2024
⚠️ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issues a rare news release due to the seriousness of this situation |
Hurricane Helene is predicted to make landfall Thursday evening along Florida’s northwest coast as a major hurricane, but NOAA’s National Weather Service is alerting communities that Helene’s flooding rainfall and high winds won’t be limited to the Gulf Coast and are expected to travel hundreds of miles inland.
Helene is an unusually large storm, whose wind field extends as far as 275 miles from its center.
Even well before landfall, heavy rainfall will begin in portions of the southeastern United States, and will continue to move northward into the southern Appalachians region through Friday where storm total rainfall amounts are forecast to be up to 18 inches.
The major flood risk includes the urban areas around Tallahassee, metro Atlanta and western North Carolina, including Asheville.
Recent rainfall in these areas, especially the southern Appalachians, have left the grounds saturated and the river tributaries running high.
Additional rainfall from Helene will exacerbate the existing flood risk. Extreme rainfall rates (i.e., torrential downpour) across the mountainous terrain of the southern Appalachians will likely inundate communities in its path with flash floods, landslides, and cause extensive river and stream flooding.
Gusty winds, combined with saturated ground, will also raise the risk of falling trees that can cause loss of life, property damage, blocked roads, and lead to power outages.
Flooding from extreme rainfall is the deadliest direct cause of tropical cyclone fatalities in the U.S. over the past decade.