Helene Made Landfall As A Catastrophic Category 4 Storm

Hurricane Helene made landfall around 11:10 p.m., EDT, Thursday just to the east of the mouth of Aucilla River. This is about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Fla.
 
As of 2:00 a.m. EDT, Hurricane Helene was located near 31.2 N and 83.3 W, or about 50 miles north of Valdosta, Ga., and 85 miles northeast of Tallahassee, Fla. Helene's maximum sustained winds are 90 mph, making a Helene a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The storm is moving north-northeast at 26 mph, with a minimum central pressure of 955 mb or 28.20 inches of mercury.
 
Hurricane Warnings are in effect for:

• The Florida Big Bend from Anclote River to Mexico Beach

Hurricane Watches are in effect for:

• The Florida West Coast from Englewood to the Anclote River, including the Tampa Bay metro area

Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect for:

• The Florida West Coast from Flamingo to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay, as well as Flamingo northward to Little River Inlet
• The Florida Panhandle from west of Mexico Beach to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line
• Lake Okeechobee

Storm Surge Warnings are in effect for:

• The Florida West Coast from Mexico Beach to Flamingo
• Tampa Bay
• Charlotte Harbor

Helene will continue to track north-northeast over the Florida pandhandle and southern Georgia tonight. Not only is Helene expected to be a catastrophic hurricane, but it is also very large, with hurricane-force winds extending 30 miles from its center and tropical storm-force winds extending 200 miles.
 
Significant and catastrophic storm surge is expected tonight. In fact, parts of Florida’s Big Bend will likely see tides 15 to 20 feet above normal, from Carrabelle to Suwannee River! Ten to 20 feet above normal tides are expected from Appalchicola to Carrabelle and Suwannee River to Chassahowitzka. The Tampa Bay area will likely see storm surges of 5 to 8 feet with the Florida Keys and the Atlantic Coast seeing 1 to 3 feet. Flooding could vary highly between locations due to local tidal cycles along with the onset and backtracking of storm surge itself. Stay alert.
 
Rainfall totals and flooding will also be very concerning. With a cold front also set up along the southern Appalachians, extremely heavy rain will occur along and west of the Interstate 85 corridor in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Rain totals of 8 to 12 inches with isolated totals nearing 20 inches will occur in this area, including the Atlanta metro, Greensville-Spartanburg, S.C., and Asheville, N.C. Five to 12 inches will be common elsewhere in the Southeast, including Tallahassee, Fla., Auburn, Ala., and Valdosta, Ga. This will lead to catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding. Landslides too will be common across the southern Appalachians.
 
 Helene will weaken as it moves inland, but eastern Georgia, northern South Carolina and western North Carolina can expect sustained winds of 35 to 55 mph and gusts of 65 to 75 mph Friday morning.

Hurricane Helene will be bringing plenty of severe weather threats to the Southeast in addition to the plethora of other impacts. The Storm Prediction Center has highlighted an Enhanced Risk for far northeastern Florida, southeastern Georgia and southern South Carolina, including Jacksonville, Fla., Savannah, Ga. and Charleston S.C.

The main concern will be several tornadoes through the region thanks to Helene’s strong winds late this afternoon through tonight, and there are already Tornado Watches stretching from central Florida through southern North Carolina. Affected cities include Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee, Fla., Brunswick and Savannah, Ga., and Augusta and Columbia, S.C.
 
It’s been an active tropical season so far, with several named storms already impacting the Atlantic basin. WeatherBug meteorologists, in collaboration with experts from AEM, predict an extremely busy season with 20 to 26 named storms, 9 to 13 hurricanes, and 5 to 7 major hurricanes.

As this season continues to heat up, it’s a good reminder to ensure that your hurricane kit is ready, with essentials like portable phone chargers, water, non-perishable food, and batteries. Make sure you know evacuation routes from your area and keep an eye on WeatherBug for the latest updates on Helene and other storms this season.