Hurricane Helene made landfall late in the evening of September 26, 2024 in the Big Bend region of Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane. Although it slowly weakened as it moved toward the north to the southern Appalachians, Hélène caused catastrophic impacts on a large part of the southeastern United States, particularly due to the record rains that fell.
First major hurricane to hit Florida’s Big Bend region
Tropical Storm Helene formed in the northwestern Caribbean Sea around September 22–23, 2024, then quickly became a major Category 3 hurricane on the morning of September 26.
Indeed, the abnormally warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico served as fuel to strengthen itself. The hurricane made landfall near Perry, Florida around 11:10 p.m. local time. Winds of nearly 225 km/h were measured with a storm surge of 4.5 meters at the worst of the event. It was the first category 4 hurricane to hit the Big Bend region since records began in 1851. At the end of the night, the hurricane was quickly downgraded to category 1 and continued to produce very violent winds while he was going back towards Georgia.
#Hurricane #Helene A week after its passage, we return to the route taken by this category 4 monster, which has caused the death of more than 200 people to date and whose damage could amount, according to initial estimates, to more than 34 billion dollars. … pic.twitter.com/o2NW6SJfIf
— La Chaîne Météo (@lachainemeteo) October 4, 2024
What are the factors explaining historical precipitation?
Going back towards the Appalachians, Hélène found herself blocked to the north by an anticyclone. This configuration significantly slowed down the tropical storm, which remained for nearly 48 hours in the American southeast. It therefore rained continuously for 2 to 3 days in the states of Georgia, Tennessee and the two Carolinas. The mountains of North Carolina significantly increased the precipitation. When the tropical depression collided with the first foothills of the Appalachians, the air mass already saturated with humidity was forced to rise, and became even more loaded with water, which explains the torrential rains in this region. .
In addition, while a classic storm would tend to weaken quickly inland, Hélène “fed” on the humidity emerging from the already flooded soils and therefore conserved all of its energy. For example, up to 787 mm were recorded at Busick in North Carolina, which is equivalent to approximately 6 months of precipitation for the station. Many records, dating from the floods of 1916, have been largely broken.
Catastrophic material and human damage
My friend went to Chimney Rock to help with the ground effort recovery. He just sent me videos. The town is gone. And this is what it looks like across dozens of mountain communities.
Helene is officially the 2nd deadliest hurricane in the last 50 years. pic.twitter.com/98qqeXoSCh
— Ella Dorsey (@Ella__Dorsey) October 2, 2024
The torrential precipitation often fell on soils already saturated with water from the heavy precipitation that fell repeatedly in the weeks before Hélène.
These rains, falling on large watersheds in mountainous areas, quickly poured into the surrounding plains and valleys, washing away everything in their path. On October 3, 2024, the death toll already stood at more than 190 deaths. The authorities expected an even heavier human toll since hundreds of people were still missing, although some were certainly unreachable due to communications networks being destroyed or on the ground. Another 1.3 million people were without power on October 3, and it could take weeks to restore power.
A look back at the consequences of Helene in pictures
Many terrifying images emerged from the field, with houses completely buried under mudslides or several meters of water and debris. This was the case in this house in North Carolina, where residents sought to keep their pets out of the water at all costs.
Terrifying video from Hendersonville, North Carolina, shows a home vanishing under chest-high waters during Hurricane Helene as residents kept pets afloat. pic.twitter.com/0zudZe2D0u
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 3, 2024
In Afton, Tennessee, the waters of the Nolichucky River swept away the Kisner Bridge.
The video below reveals the force of the waters in Asheville, North Carolina, washing away everything in their path.
“It just ripped it in … half.” Friends trapped in Asheville, North Carolina, witnessed floodwaters from Helene carry away a building. pic.twitter.com/5qOnX7f2or
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 3, 2024
In Tennessee, this house stood no chance against the force of the waves rushing down the mountain above. The occupants of the house were forced to take refuge in the attic.
Intense flooding from Hurricane Helene surged through this Tennessee home, driving a family into the attic for safety before they were rescued. pic.twitter.com/VrzypC1ANs
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 2, 2024
This hurricane will therefore remain one of the worst that the region has experienced and the second deadliest to hit the United States in the last 50 years, only surpassed by Katrina in 2005.
