Effects of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina
Clockwise from top: Devastating flooding in Buncombe County after Hurricane Helene. Satellite loop of Helene over the Appalachian region on September 27. High floodwater in Burke County. Photo of Marshall, North Carolina five months after the hurricane. I-40 was partially washed away by the river. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 27, 2024 |
| Tropical storm | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 50 mph (85 km/h) |
| Highest gusts | 75 mph (120 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 973 mbar (hPa); 28.73 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 107 (Deadliest in modern North Carolina history) |
| Missing | 26 |
| Damage | >$59.6 billion (2024 USD) (Costliest in North Carolina history) |
| Areas affected | North Carolina (particularly the Mountain and Piedmont regions) |
Part of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season | |
| Effects
Related Other wikis | |
Wind and flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina on September 27, 2024, primarily in its western Appalachian region, causing at least 107 reported deaths and major destruction of infrastructure and residential areas across several settlements. After making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida on September 27, the hurricane began to traverse over land across Georgia as a Category 2 hurricane and into the Appalachian mountain range as a tropical storm, depositing record-breaking amounts of rainfall across several settlements in western North Carolina, including Asheville, Swannanoa, Spruce Pine, Chimney Rock, Montreat, Lake Lure, and several others.
As a result of the historic rainfall, several rivers in the region overflowed and inundated multiple settlements, destroying houses and infrastructure and cutting off power, transportation, and communications to many towns for prolonged periods. In addition, several mudslides occurred across the region, significantly worsening the damage. Helene was the costliest natural disaster in North Carolina history, surpassing Hurricane Florence from 2018.