Hurricane Helene strengthened Thursday to a Category 3 storm with winds of 120 miles per hour. The mountains of North Carolina were already experiencing severe flooding on Thursday, and the central part of the state will see the worst impacts Friday morning.

Helene is expected to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle by 8 p.m. Thursday as a strong Category 3 or 4 storm.

“Because it is moving over very warm ocean water, it will likely strengthen quickly to Category 4 before making landfall,” said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner.

The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee is predicting storm surges of up to 20 feet in Florida, warning that they could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable.”

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tropical storm warning for portions of the North Carolina Mountains and Charlotte. Many counties in western North Carolina are under a tropical storm watch, and tornado warnings appeared in the Charlotte area Thursday morning.

North Carolina will feel the effects of Helene on Thursday and Friday. The mountains will bear the brunt of the storm Thursday through early Friday, and conditions will also worsen in central North Carolina through Friday morning.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Wednesday before the storm hit. The major storm spans about 900 miles wide, so its impact will be far-reaching.

“This is a huge, massive storm,” said WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth.

Impacts on Helene Mountain

In the mountains of North Carolina, we saw wind gusts of 70 mph at higher elevations and 50 mph at lower elevations. This can lead to widespread power outages and other wind-related damage.

As of 12 noon on Thursday, severe flooding had already occurred in the southern mountains, with 15 to 20 centimeters of rain falling. Biltmore Village was partially under water and Carrier Park in Asheville was flooded. The entire Blue Ridge Parkway was closed until further notice.

The NWS said “catastrophic, life-threatening” flooding could occur in western Carolina, particularly where soils are already saturated from previous rains. A stationary front not associated with Helene already dumped about 6 inches of rain on parts of the North Carolina mountains on Wednesday.

“We’re most concerned about the mountains of North Carolina,” Gardner said. “It will rain the heaviest here.”

Local effects of Helene

We expect the worst impacts in North Carolina on Friday, particularly during the morning commute. According to Wilmoth, this is when we will experience the heaviest rain and strongest winds.

Impacts for central NC include 1 to 3 inches of rain, wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph and isolated tornadoes. According to WRAL meteorologist Anthony Baglione, the greatest threat of tornadoes will be Friday morning and into the early afternoon. There is a Level 3 (out of 5) risk of severe storms and tornadoes in some counties south of the Triangle on Friday.

“Our heaviest rain will come in the first half of the day on Friday,” Wilmoth said. “The heaviest rain will move north and west of us on Friday night.”

Cumberland County Schools announced Thursday that schools will operate under the remote learning plan on Friday. Central North Carolina will likely feel the effects of Helene during the morning commute.

Helene will then move quickly north through Georgia and west into Tennessee before dissipating.

“As it moves through parts of Georgia, it will likely persist as a Category 1 hurricane, meaning major wind damage there,” said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner. “It’s moving into Tennessee and dissipating as we get into the weekend.”

The Triangle and surrounding areas are under a Level 1 risk of severe weather on Thursday and a Level 2 risk of severe weather on Friday.

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