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    • The 2024 storm has the same name as two others
    Massachusetts

    The 2024 storm has the same name as two others

    Idris Bevan Posted on

    Both the 1958 and 2006 storms failed to reach the United States. But the 1958 hurricane would have been a Category 4 storm if it had formed today.

    Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Thursday evening as a major hurricane, possibly as strong as Category 3 or higher, before sweeping through Georgia and other nearby states, forecasters say.

    Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall late Thursday somewhere in the Big Bend region of Florida, according to AccuWeather forecasts. More than 42 million people in Florida, Georgia and Alabama are under hurricane and tropical storm warnings as of Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

    The weather service issued a dire warning Wednesday afternoon, warning residents across Georgia, Florida and South Carolina that inland flooding could be a deadly factor even after the first hurricane.

    “NOAA’s National Weather Service is alerting communities that the flooding rains and strong winds from Helene will not be limited to the Gulf Coast and are expected to extend hundreds of miles inland,” the release said.

    Although Helene could be one of the largest storms in recent memory, this is not the first time in history that a hurricane named Helene has been recorded. Two other storms in 1958 and 2006 have the same name.

    Here’s what you should know about the previous Hurricane Helenes.

    1958: Hurricane Helene, a potential Category 4 hurricane

    The first signs of 1958 Hurricane Helene were discovered as a tropical storm on September 23, 1958.

    At that time it was about 300 miles northeast of the Dominican Republic. After quickly becoming a hurricane, it moved toward the Carolinas.

    At its peak off the coast of South Carolina, maximum sustained winds were 150 miles per hour. Some areas in North Carolina received up to 8 inches of rain. It never reached land, only approaching about 10 miles from Cape Fear, North Carolina, before flowing back out to sea.

    Evacuations were ordered for coastal islands in North Carolina to prevent deaths in the area, but one serious injury was reported from the storm. The storm caused power outages and a weather station in Wilmington reported wind gusts of 135 mph.

    At the time, the modern Saffir-Simpson scale was not used to measure the strength of hurricanes, but if it had been used, it would have been classified as Category 4, according to the National Weather Service.

    2006: Another hurricane without landfall, but still a Category 3 hurricane

    The 2006 version was a somewhat insignificant hurricane that never reached mainland North America and ended up in the North Atlantic. According to NASA, it was the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.

    After being identified as a tropical storm in the North Atlantic, it developed into a Category 3 storm, similar to the current hurricane, before moving further north. According to the Tropical Storm Information Center, the 2006 storm had winds of up to 70 miles per hour.

    2024: A violent storm makes landfall this time

    Some say the third time is the charm, but for residents of the Florida Panhandle and surrounding areas, it’s more of a curse. Hurricane Helene is expected to bring rain and strong winds to the area, potentially making it habitable for weeks, if not months.

    Heavy rains that could lead to flooding are also expected in parts of inland Georgia as the storm moves into the Peach State, and widespread power outages could occur as the risk of falling trees and broken branches is high.

    Tracking data shows the hurricane making landfall in Florida before crossing into Georgia and moving deeper into the US, likely as a storm, into Tennessee and Kentucky.

    Contributor: Tom Elia – Palm Beach Post

    Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a featured news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

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    Idris Bevan
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