Tracking Hurricane Helene’s Path
Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Thursday night of September 26, 2024. As it rapidly approached the coast of Florida, it was labeled a category 4 hurricane. Florida is well known for being heavily impacted by historical hurricanes, primarily due to its location between the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Although this hurricane was on course to mainly impact Florida, throughout the final weekend of September, multiple states, such as Georgia, Tennessee, North, and South Carolina, were all affected.
In the final days of September, it was already mainstream news that Hurricane Helene was on course to tear through Florida, run up through Georgia, and finish in North Carolina. The city of Tampa, plus many other cities along the west coast of Florida, were all told to evacuate the area entirely and proceed with caution. Helene struck Florida as a category 4 hurricane with winds up to 140 miles per hour. The storm caused massive destruction throughout the southeast coast, affecting many people's lives. Dozens were killed, homes and communities destroyed, and properties flooded.
On Monday, September 23rd, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami warned about “disorganized” thunderstorms forming in the Caribbean Sea, which had a high chance of turning tropical. Although nothing was certain, a warning to the cities bordering the gulf could be at risk. On Tuesday, September 24th, Helene was classified as a tropical storm. Overnight, western Cuba was hit with heavy rain and flooding, leaving many citizens homeless. Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, issued an emergency order to 61 of his 67 counties. Governor Brian Kemp followed warnings in all 159 Georgia counties. As Wednesday morning hit, Hurricane Helene was upgraded to a category 1 hurricane. It dumped massive amounts of rain along the Yucatan coast before it turned right and headed for Florida. Hurricane warnings were signaled throughout Florida, and flood warnings were made throughout most southeast coast states.
Throughout the rest of Wednesday and Thursday, Helene became a category 4 hurricane as it approached Florida. The NHC described Helene as catastrophic to targeted areas and the storm's size, which was life-threatening to locals who did not evacuate. Hurricane Helene struck Florida Keaton Beach at 11:10 p.m. On Friday, September 27th, residents along the Gulf Coast were welcomed to scenes of devastation and destruction throughout their neighborhoods. The storm surge swept away hundreds of coastal communities, and countless buildings were blown apart.
Although Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm as it exited Florida, the center of Helene continued to cause havoc as it passed from Georgia into the Carolinas. First responders conducted thousands of water rescues in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Finally, on Saturday, September 28th, North Carolina, disasters began to emerge, with authorities declaring that all roads west of the state could be closed due to flooding, damage, debris, and fallen trees and power lines. The town of Asheville was largely underwater. The NHC issued its final bulletin on the storm but warned about river flooding that was inevitably still ongoing across the southern Appalachians, and lengthy power outages were expected.
Even now, power outages still affect many Americans in the Southeastern region. How Helene affected different areas reminds us to learn from these experiences.
By Luke Sommerville