What to know about Hurricane Helene and widespread flooding the storm left across the Southeast US

Freida Frisaro, Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Massive Hurricane Helene collapsed into Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region, bringing large wind surge and precocious winds crossed nan state’s Gulf Coast communities earlier ripping into confederate Georgia.

Where is nan large wind now?

Hurricane Helene has weakened to a tropical large wind complete Georgia pinch maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) early Friday, nan National Hurricane Center said.

The large wind will proceed to weaken arsenic it continues to move northbound crossed Georgia. At 8 a.m., Helene was centered astir 35 miles (60 kilometers) south-southwest of Clemson, South Carolina, and astir 80 miles (130 kilometers) east-northeast of Atlanta, moving northbound astatine 30 mph (48 kph), nan hurricane halfway successful Miami reported.

Helene wobbled arsenic it approached Florida’s seashore precocious Thursday earlier making landfall adjacent nan rima of nan Aucilla River pinch maximum sustained winds estimated astatine 140 mph (225 kph). That location was only astir 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of wherever Hurricane Idalia came ashore past twelvemonth astatine astir nan aforesaid ferocity and caused wide damage.

Evacuations were underway Friday greeting successful areas of Western North Carolina. The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office westbound of Asheville said it was helping pinch evacuations successful Cruso, Clyde, Canton, and lower-lying parts of Waynesville.

How galore group are without power?

As of 9:15 a.m. Friday, immoderate 3.2 cardinal group crossed Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee were without power, according to poweroutage.us.

Most of nan outages, were successful Florida, Georgia and South Carolina — each pinch much than 1 cardinal outages.

Almost 45% of homes and businesses successful South Carolina were without powerfulness Friday morning. Whole counties were without energy arsenic winds gusted to adjacent hurricane force. Trees aliases different debris blocked each awesome roadworthy starring into Greenwood, a metropolis of astir 22,000 group astir 65 miles (105 kilometers) westbound of Columbia, Greenwood County officials said connected societal media.

Crews of linemen were stationed crossed nan region, fresh to statesman nan process of restoring powerfulness arsenic soon arsenic nan winds from Helene died down.

What astir large wind surge?

Flooding on Florida’s seashore began good earlier Hurricane Helene made landfall, pinch quickly rising waters reported from arsenic acold southbound arsenic Fort Myers connected nan state’s Gulf Coast.

Early Friday, sheriff’s officials successful Hillsborough County, wherever Tampa is located, were utilizing a ample ATV to rescue group who were stranded by rising waters.

In Cedar Key, an aged Florida-style land disconnected nan Gulf Coast, galore homes, motels and businesses were flooded. Not moreover nan city’s occurrence rescue building was spared.

“It really blew retired nan large wind panels connected nan beforehand doors. Blew retired 1 of nan breakaway walls connected nan backmost and 2 introduction doors,” nan agency posted online. “It appears that we had astir 6 feet aliases amended of h2o inside.”

What is large wind surge?

Storm surge is nan level astatine which seawater rises supra its normal level.

Much for illustration nan measurement a storm’s sustained winds do not see nan imaginable for moreover stronger gusts, large wind surge doesn’t see nan activity tallness supra nan mean h2o level.

Surge is besides nan magnitude supra what nan normal tide is astatine a time, truthful a 15-foot large wind surge astatine precocious tide tin beryllium acold much devastating than nan aforesaid surge astatine debased tide.

How are hurricanes measured?

The astir communal measurement to measurement a hurricane’s spot is nan Saffir-Simpson Scale that assigns a class from 1 to 5 based connected a storm’s sustained upwind velocity astatine its center, pinch 5 being nan strongest.