Helene to bring unsurvivable storm surge and catastrophic inland flooding

Hurricane Helene continues to intensify and is forecast to become a Major Hurricane this afternoon afternoon, making landfall as a Major Hurricane tonight in Florida, bringing an unsurvivable storm surge to parts of Florida and catastrophic flooding from rain well inland into parts of Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas tonight, Friday and Saturday.

Helene is a Category 2 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph with higher gusts. The Hurricane is tracking north-northeast off the West Coast of Florida—movement is at 14 mph. Landfall is forecast tonight in the Big Bend region of Florida as a strong Category 3 or Category 4 Major Hurricane.

Helene latest and forecast track

This is where the highest storm surge is forecast, up to 20 feet above dry ground. If you have family or friends along coastal Florida, near the Big Bend, or if you live there, listen to all local evacuation orders and take them seriously. The National Hurricane Center is calling this storm surge 'unsurvivable' for these areas.

Storm surge forecast

The Hurricane continues to expand in size, and due to the size, an intensity at landfall, hurricane and tropical storm-force conditions will be felt far inland across the Southeast where Hurricane Warnings and Tropical Storm Warnings extend across the entire state of Georgia into the Carolinas along with High Wind Warnings extending into Tennessee and Virginia. These winds will cause power outages especially due to the foliage on the trees and stressed trees due to the ongoing drought conditions. Be cautious if your house is surrounded by large trees and go ahead and prepare to lose power, possibly for weeks in some cases.

Hurricane and tropical storm alerts

Along with the wind spreading inland, the big concern will be the heavy rain across the Southeast into the Ohio Valley, measured in feet of rain in some cases across the southern Appalachians where terrain and a boundary nearby enhance the tropical rains from Helene. There's a very rare High Risk for flooding in this region, extending across Georgia into western parts of the Carolinas from tonight, Friday into Saturday. It's possible northeastern Georgia, Upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina see 18-24 inches of rain, with isolated higher amounts of rain. This will cause catastrophic, life-threatening impacts. If you live in the region, in a flood prone area, consider evacuating and keep a close eye on the forecast. Never cross a roadway covered by water.

Helene rainfall forecast

High flood risk in pink shaded area Thursday night through Saturday

Please take Helene seriously. Have multiple, reliable sources to receive weather information from.