Carolina Weather Group

The Carolinas and the Southeast preparing for big impacts from Helene. Hurricane Helene is rapidly intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to make landfall along the big bend of Florida. From there, impacts from the storm will move quickly over Georgia and into both North Carolina and South Carolina. Excessive rain will cause flash flooding with the greatest risks across portions of the western North Carolina mountains, where the region is already being soaked by a predecessor rain event underway. With more than ten inches of rain possible, the risk of flash flooding in the mountains is extremely high. The risk of flooding extends across much of the Carolinas, where a couple of inches of rain is also possible. Even with Helene forecast to weaken to a tropical storm over Georgia and the Carolinas, gusty winds could still reach hurricane-force with some areas forecast to see 70 mph or greater wind gusts. This could easily topple trees and power lines. Power outages are anticipated with this stor