Cities in Hurricane Helene’s Path Could See 10 Times Monthly Rainfall

AccuWeather meteorologists are warning that some cities in North Carolina could see nearly 10 times their monthly rainfall totals in only three days as Hurricane Helene moves through the U.S.
Helene became a tropical storm on Tuesday morning and is expected to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday night at 10 p.m. local time. As of Thursday morning, Helene was classified as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained wind speeds of 110 mph. Experts believe it will continue strengthening until it makes landfall as a Category 4.
Many Florida counties have issued evacuation orders already, and weather warnings related to the hurricane extend far outside of the Sunshine State. AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter warned about the potential for locally maximum rainfall amounts of 36 inches in some areas, particularly in high-elevation mountains in northeast Georgia, western South Carolina and western North Carolina, however the exact location is still to be determined.
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A rainfall map from AccuWeather anticipates widespread amounts of 12 to 18 inches, and AccuWeather’s Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said amounts between 24 and 36 inches are possible, depending on where the storm’s rainbands set up as it moves further inland. If the rain bands set up in the Asheville area, which receives around 3.81 inches of rain on average each September, rain amounts could hit nearly 10 times’ the city’s monthly average.
“We are exceptionally concerned this could be catastrophic flooding,” DaSilva told Newsweek, adding that the storm would unleash a 1-in-1,000-year rain event and that meteorologists are particularly concerned for Boone and Asheville, North Carolina. “We are seeing multiple months’ worth of rain coming down in three days.”
According to a graphic created by AccuWeather, the most severe flooding will be experienced in the following cities: Bluefield, West Virginia; Boone, North Carolina; Morganton, North Carolina; Bryson City, North Carolina; Brevard, North Carolina; Clayton, Georgia; Jasper, Georgia; McCaysville, Geogia; and Gatlinburg, Tennessee; as well as western South Carolina and southern Virginia.
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Heavy rain has already hit North Carolina in advance of the storm, with Asheville already receiving 8 inches, more than twice its monthly amount. Newland, North Carolina, also has already received 6 inches of rain according to National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Jake Wimberley, and Brevard, North Carolina, also has already received 6 inches of rain through this morning.
Flooding has already started, especially in the mountains, and Wimberley told Newsweek that the NWS is expecting it to get worse.
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NWS forecasts anticipate that Brevard could receive up to 10 inches of additional rain, and Newland could receive up to 15 inches of additional rain. Both cities have an average monthly rainfall of around 5 inches.
“This will be one of the most significant weather events to happen in the western portions of the area in the modern era. Record flooding is forecasted and has been compared to the floods of 1916 in the Asheville area,” a Facebook post from the NWS said.
“The impacts from this event are expected to be greater than Tropical Storm Fred from August 2021, the mountains in 2004 from Frances and Ivan, and in Upstate South Carolina the Saluda River Basin flooding from 1949,” the post added. We plead with everyone that you take every single weather warning very seriously through the entirety of this event as impacts will be life-threatening and make sure to have multiple ways to receive the alerts.”