At least 3 killed as Hurricane Helene makes landfall
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Florida Big Bend region at around 11:10pm EDT on Thursday, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC). As it made landfall, Helene was one of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit Florida.
The storm weakened to a Category 1 overnight.
At least three people have died, according to CNN. One died after a sign fell and hit a car in Florida, and two in Georgia when they were caught in a tornado related to the storm.
Key events
Helene weakens to tropical storm as life-threatening winds and rains continue
The National Hurricane Center has said Helene is now a tropical storm as it moves farther inland over Georgia. It noted that “life-threatening storm surge, winds, and heavy rains continue.”
In a 4am update, the National Hurricane Center said “Helene continues to move inland over central Georgia and is producing hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall.”
“This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the center said.
“A University of Georgia weather station in Vidalia, Georgia recently reported a wind gust of 77 mph (124 km/h). An ASOS station at The Savannah International Airport in Georgia recently reported a sustained wind of 49 mph (79 km/h) with a gust to 76 mph (122 km/h),” it added.
Joe Biden has said he is “closely tracking Hurricane Helene.”
“I urge everyone in and near the path of Helene to listen to local officials and follow evacuation warnings,” he said.
I am closely tracking Hurricane Helene, and my team is in touch with state and local officials on the ground and ready to support.
I urge everyone in and near the path of Helene to listen to local officials and follow evacuation warnings.
Take this seriously, and be safe. pic.twitter.com/IGZf4MmC4p
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 27, 2024
Hurricane force winds move further into Georgia
The National Hurricane Center said in a 3am update that “Helene continues to produce hurricane force winds that are moving further into Georgia.”
“This is an dangerous and life-threatening situation. Persons should not leave their shelters and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions. When in the eye, people are reminded to not venture out in the relative calm, as hazardous winds will increase very quickly when the center passes,” it said.
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What is a storm surge, and what is the threat from Hurricane Helene?
Hurricane Helene is expected to bring life-threatening storm surges as high as 20ft (6 meters) to Florida’s coast.
The governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have declared emergencies in their states.
In Florida, the huge storm surges from the initial landfall have been prominent in the warnings from officials, who described Helene as an unusually large storm with a wind field extending 275 miles (440km) from its center.
Hurricane Helene is the most powerful storm to hit the US mainland since Idalia, which barreled into Florida on 30 August last year at Keaton Beach.
Similar in strength, and location at landfall, to Helene, Idalia followed an almost identical path through the Gulf of Mexico on its way to becoming the third strongest cyclone to strike Florida’s Big Bend.
Such was its strength that Florida’s famous flamingos were spotted as far north as Ohio and Pennsylvania in the storm’s aftermath. Idalia was blamed for 12 fatalities in the US, and caused damage estimated at $3.6bn. Officials fear Helene’s toll could prove much worse.
These are the five most costly hurricanes in the US, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): 1, Katrina 2005 ($200bn damage; 1,200 deaths); 2, Harvey 2017 ($160bn; 107); 3, Ian 2022 ($118.5bn; 161); 4, Maria 2017 ($115.2bn; 3,059); 5, Sandy 2012 ($88.5bn; 233).
Nasa astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting 260 miles above Earth recorded this video of Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday.
Watch as station cameras from 260 miles above view Hurricane Helene nearing Florida’s Gulf Coast and packing winds in excess of 100 miles per hour. https://t.co/XSTg6lj6Dk
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) September 26, 2024
The footage shows the storm, at the time packing winds of 100mph, beginning to grow in size and intensity in the hours immediately before landfall.
ISS and satellite imagery from space have proven invaluable following previous hurricanes, helping officials to assess the extent of damage and plan recovery and restoration efforts.
Helene might not be the strongest hurricane to ravage the US, but it’s certainly one of the largest.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), it’s bigger in size than 90% of all other tropical cyclones to have formed in the Atlantic or Caribbean in the past 20 years, with a wind field almost 500 miles wide. That’s the same distance from Indianapolis to Washington DC, CNN says, or from London to Glasgow.
It means areas far inland that usually escape the ravages of even the most powerful of storms will be affected this time. In a lunchtime advisory Thursday, NHC senior hurricane specialist John Cangialosi said strong gusts could be expected in northern Georgia, the Carolinas, and the southern Appalachians:
Helene is a very large hurricane. In fact, comparing the system with previous hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico over the past couple of decades, Helene is at the upper bound in terms of size.
As a result, storm surge, wind, and rainfall impacts will extend far away from the center and well outside the forecast cone, particularly on the east side.
By Thursday evening, the entire state of Florida was under storm watches or warnings, and governor Ron DeSantis had declared a state of emergency in 61 of 67 counties.
North Carolina’s governor Roy Cooper warned of “significant flash flooding, landslides, damaging debris flows, slope failures across steep terrain and river flooding” in his state.
“Even areas that typically don’t experience it may see flooding,” he said.
At least 3 killed as Hurricane Helene makes landfall
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Florida Big Bend region at around 11:10pm EDT on Thursday, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC). As it made landfall, Helene was one of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit Florida.
The storm weakened to a Category 1 overnight.
At least three people have died, according to CNN. One died after a sign fell and hit a car in Florida, and two in Georgia when they were caught in a tornado related to the storm.