Maps show Helene’s trail: What you should know about her path, storm surge and flood risk

Fueled by extremely warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico that were rapidly intensifying, Hurricane Helene ended up as powerful Category 4 According to the National Hurricane Center, a storm struck along the coast of Big Bend, Florida late Thursday evening, then quickly lost power and was downgraded to a tropical storm within hours.

The center described Helene as a “very dangerous and major hurricane” with “damaging hurricane-force winds and catastrophic storm surge” as it came ashore, and said Helene was still producing a “life-threatening” storm surge, strong winds and heavy rain” hours later.

The storm was a major hurricane when it made landfall near Perry, Florida, at 11:10 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.

At 11 a.m. EDT, Helene was about 30 miles southwest of Bryson City, North Carolina, and barreling north at 32 miles per hour, the Miami-based hurricane center said. There was a maximum sustained wind of 45 miles per hour.

Path of Hurricane Helene

A map from the National Hurricane Center showed Helene heading north through Georgia early Friday, with impacts felt across South Carolina and parts of North Carolina.

After landfall, Helene was expected to turn northwest and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday, the hurricane center said.

Storm surge was a major problem in northwest Florida when Helene arrived. Meteorologists expected the storm surge to reach 5 to 10 feet from the Aucilla River in Florida to Chassahowitzka, Florida. The hurricane center warned that other areas could see 3 to 7 feet of water.

As the storm moves along, parts of the southeastern and southern Appalachians could see rain accumulations totaling 6 to 12 inches, with as much as 20 inches in some areas, forecasters said, causing flooding across the region and the threat of landslides in would lead to steep terrain.

“We’ve already seen double-digit rainfall amounts in western North Carolina, and we could get another half a foot or more. “That means there is a risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding,” Weather Channel meteorologist Stephanie Abrams said. “CBS Mornings” added Friday that flooding could extend as far as the Mississippi River.

“All this water will cause rivers to rise, some of which could exceed their records by several feet,” Abrams said.

Before he landed, Helene’s intensity increased rapidly Record warm water in the Gulf of Mexico. According to an analysis by Climate Central, the likelihood of high ocean temperatures in this location has been increased 200 times due to climate change.

“This is the fourth hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast this year. This has only happened five times in history,” Abrams noted.