Hurricane Helene Will Be ‘Multi-State Event’: Here’s Which States Will Be Impacted

By Jack Phillips

Hurricane Helene, a Category 3 storm, is projected to slam Florida’s northwestern coast on Thursday evening. It is also forecast to bring heavy rains across much of the southern United States over the coming weekend.

A map from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Thursday shows Hurricane Helene hitting the Florida Panhandle, with the state’s capital Tallahassee being at or near the center of the storm’s forecasted path. The storm is expected to strengthen further before making landfall, the NHC said.

The National Weather Service warned on social media that a “catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast, where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level, along with destructive waves.”

“There is also a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the remainder of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula,” the service said. “Residents in those areas should follow advice given by local officials and evacuate if told to do so.”

Multiple Impacts in Several States

Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell warned that Hurricane Helene will impact regions from Florida to Tennessee.

“This is going to be a multi-state event with the potential for significant impacts from Florida all the way to Tennessee,” Criswell said at a White House press briefing Thursday.

Disaster declarations have been approved by the Biden administration in Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia, which are in the path of the storm system. Modeling from the NHC shows that Helene will weaken after hitting land, becoming a tropical storm somewhere over Georgia by Friday morning before being downgraded into a tropical depression.

“We expect life-threatening flash flooding” as the storm moves north, Criswell said, adding that people should listen to local officials for warnings.

Heavy Rain Forecast

Record-breaking flooding is forecast in Asheville, North Carolina, said the NWS’s local office in an “urgent message” on Thursday as it described the storm as “one of the most significant weather events” in the “modern era” for the city and state.

Seven inches of rain have already fallen in Asheville, while some other areas have seen even more. All of the water is flowing downhill out of the mountains.

In western North Carolina and South Carolina, over 12 inches of rain is expected in some areas, an NHC model shows. Parts of Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois could see 4 to 6 inches of rain, it further shows.

Specifically, over areas of the southern United States into the southern Appalachian Mountain region, Helene will produce 6 to 12 inches in rainfall with isolated amounts of 20 inches, the agency said.Agency forecasters warn there is a moderate-to-high chance of flash flooding across much of the southern U.S. over the next three days.

“This rainfall will likely result in catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with significant river flooding. Numerous significant landslides are expected in steep terrain across the southern Appalachians,” said the NHC.

Flood Warnings in Mountains

Emergency officials in the North Carolina mountains are warning that heavy rains before Hurricane Helene even arrives have set the stage for historic flooding.

The French Broad River and Swannanoa River, which run in and around Asheville and then south, are already predicted to break 100-year-old records Friday into Saturday. The flooding could be worse than in 2004 when water rose to car rooftops in Biltmore Village just outside the gates of the historic Biltmore estate built by George Vanderbilt.

“This is a potentially historic event with catastrophic, deadly consequences. This is not a maybe. This is on track to happen. So please, please take every precaution to take yourself out of harm’s way,” Buncombe County Emergency Services Director Taylor Jones said.

Tornadoes Anticipated

There is a chance that ’several tornadoes” may appear on Thursday evening into Friday morning associated with Helene, the NWS wrote on X.

The greatest threat can be anticipated in Florida, southeastern Georgia, the Midlands and Low Country regions of South Carolina, and the southern part of North Carolina, it warned.

“The greatest concern in regards to impacts associated with Hurricane Helene will be the risk for tropical tornadoes later today and tonight. Have a tornado plan in place in case a warning is issued,” wrote the NWS office in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.