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Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene was a large, catastrophic, and fast moving tropical cyclone that caused widespread destruction and fatalities across the Southeastern United States. It was the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida and the deadliest in mainland US since Katrina in 2005. 

How does a hurricane like Helene form?

A hurricane is an extremely strong storm that gains power from warm tropical waters. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), hurricanes often start as low-pressure areas called tropical waves, which move through moist tropical regions.

As these weather systems move across the tropics, warm air from the ocean rises into the storm, creating an area of low pressure underneath. More air rushes in, which then rises, cools, and forms clouds and thunderstorms. The water in the clouds condenses, releasing heat that fuels the storm even more.

When the storm’s wind speeds reach 74 mph (119 km/h), it is officially classified as a hurricane. The term “hurricane” is interchangeable with “tropical cyclone” and “typhoon” — they all refer to the same type of weather phenomenon but are called different names depending on their location in the world.

Where did Hurricane Helene make landfall?

Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on September 26, causing widespread destruction across the Southeast. It affected nearly 4 million homes and businesses in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, with sustained winds of 140 mph and claiming at least 130 lives. Helene weakened to a tropical storm over the Tennessee Valley and brought flood rains and high winds inland from the Gulf Coast. It prompted evacuations, school closures, and emergency declarations in Florida and Georgia, with over 40 million people under hurricane and storm warnings.

There was another Hurricane Helene in 1958.

Hurricane Helene (1958) was the most intense tropical cyclone of the 1958 Atlantic hurricane season. The eight tropical storm and fourth hurricane of the year, Helene was formed from a tropical wave east of the Lesser Antilles. Moving steadily westward, the storm slowly intensified, attaining hurricane strength on September 26. As conditions became increasingly favorable for tropical cyclone development, Helene began to rapidly intensify. Nearing the United States East Coast, the hurricane quickly attained Category 4 intensity on September 26, before it subsequently reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 930 mbar (930 hPa; 27 inHg). The intense hurricane came within 10 mi (16 km) of Cape Fear, North Carolina before recurving out to sea. Accelerating Helene gradually weakened, and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone as it passed over Newfoundland on September 29. Helene's extratropical remnants traversed eastwards across the Atlantic Ocean before dissipating near Great Britain on October 4.

Despite not making landfall on North Carolina, its close proximity to land caused extensive damage across the US East Coast. Strong winds resulted in widespread power outages, cutting telecommunications along the coast. A weather station in Wilmington, North Carolina reported a wind gust of 135 mph (217 km/h), setting a new record for fastest wind gust reported there. Though mostly concentrated in North Carolina, rainfall was widespread, reaching as far north as Maine. In the United States, damages reached $11.2 million and there was one indirect death. After impacting the US, Helene produced strong winds and heavy rain across much of Atlantic Canada. In Cape Breton Island on Nova Scotia, the storm was considered the worst in at least 21 years.