Helene was deadliest hurricane since Katrina, new report says

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The National Hurricane Center (NHC) released its full report on Helene this week, and in it declared the storm the deadliest hurricane in the United States since Katrina struck in August 2005.

According to the report, Helene caused at least 248 deaths across several states, including 105 in North Carolina alone. Of those 248 deaths, at least 175 were caused directly by the storm, whether by wind, flood or other immediate impacts.

While Helene brought death and destruction to the entire southeastern United States and southern Appalachia, the storm’s worst impacts were largely concentrated in western North Carolina.

The report -- which was published March 19 -- delves into everything from wind and rainfall amounts to tornadoes, forecast evaluations and more.

By the time Helene made its way out of the Carolinas, North Carolina sustained $53 billion in damage, according to an October estimate. That estimate made the storm far and away the costliest to ever hit the state.

Helene’s highest wind gusts recorded in North Carolina

Helene first made landfall overnight Sept. 26-27 as a Category 4 hurricane. It did so in Florida’s Big Bend region, and at the time, the hurricane’s sustained winds were clocked at approximately 135 mph.

The NHC report said the storm had “fast forward motion” and had weakened to a tropical storm with approximately 70 mph sustained winds by 5 a.m. on Sept. 27. At that point, Helene’s center was near Macon, Ga.

Despite Helene having weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm by the time it reached the Carolinas, the most intense wind gusts were recorded in North Carolina. The strongest gust -- which is different than sustained winds -- was recorded at Mt. Mitchell in Yancey County. That gust reached approximately 105 mph, while one in Banner Elk hit about 100 mph.

The report said the strongest winds in North Carolina were measured in locations with the highest elevations; however, it said similar wind speeds likely blew through the rest of the mountain region.

In addition to Helene’s generally strong winds, the NHC said the size of its wind field was “quite large.” In fact, the agency’s report said data from past hurricanes revealed that Helene’s wind field was larger than 90% of systems with similar strength and location.

Watch WBTV’s Helene documentary ‘The Day the Lights Went Out’ here

‘Prolonged’ period of rain brought ‘historic’ rainfall

Before Helene even made landfall, the Carolinas were getting rain. That meant when the storm finally arrived, the ground was already saturated in many places and rain totals had begun to climb.

Of all places included in the NHC report, Busick, N.C. -- which is in Yancey County -- had the highest recorded total from Sept. 25-28. During that span, the North Carolina community received 30.78 inches of rain. Further south, one part of Transylvania County got 29.98 inches during that same span.

The report said parts of Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Henderson, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk and Watauga counties also received 18 inches or more of rainfall. Places in Pickens and Greenville counties in South Carolina also received at least a foot and a half of rain.

The historic rain totals were so out of the ordinary that the NHC said a large area stretching from northwestern South Carolina into western North Carolina and southwestern Virginia received three-day rainfall totals that had less than a 0.1% chance of occurring.

With the immense amounts of rain came flooding and the overflowing of creeks and rivers.

The NHC said at least 63 streams and rivers broke their record levels amid Helene, including major North Carolina rivers such as the South Toe, French Broad, Catawba and Swannanoa.

According to the report, flooding was directly responsible for 77 deaths in North Carolina alone, and 94 across all states.

Helene generated dozens of tornadoes across multiple states

The NHC report found that Helene produced at least 39 tornadoes, including 30 that were in either North or South Carolina.

Of the 30 twisters confirmed in the Carolinas, 21 were South Carolina, all of which were either rated EF-0 or EF-1 tornadoes. Eight of the nine in North Carolina fell into the same category, although one in Nash County was an EF-3 twister that left 15 people hurt and damaged 11 buildings.

In South Carolina, one of the many tornadoes that formed became the widest documented tornado in the entire U.S. tropical cyclone tornado database, which goes back to 1995. That particular twister was 1,100 yards wide.

The only tornado that was deadly happened in Georgia and killed two people who were in a mobile home.

Thirty-three of the 39 Helene-induced tornadoes happened while the storm was still a tropical cyclone -- which means the storm was still an organized, rapidly rotating system.

Hurricane was ‘adequately forecast’

Now months after Helene hit, the NHC said the hurricane was “adequately forecast,” but developed sooner than anticipated. The agency also said Helene was “more difficult” to forecast than normal.

Forecasters accurately predicted the storm would become a major hurricane, despite its intensity being “much hard than average” to forecast. For reference, a major hurricane is considered a Category 3 or higher. As previously noted, Helene was a Category 4 at landfall.

In the United States, the first hurricane watch was issued for parts of Florida around 5 a.m. on Sept. 24 -- more than 60 hours before the storm made landfall. A hurricane warning was issued that evening.

The NHC said it began communication with emergency managers on Sept. 23, and that 16 support briefings were held with representatives from multiple states, including both Carolinas.

Helene was costliest storm in North Carolina history

Helene has officially been ruled the most destructive hurricane in North Carolina history, at least based on the state’s initial damage estimates.

State officials said the storm, which brought its worst impacts Friday, Sept. 27, caused an estimated $53 billion in damage – far more than previous hurricanes.

“Helene is the deadliest and most damaging storm ever to hit North Carolina,” then-Gov. Roy Cooper said. “This storm left a trail of destruction in our beautiful mountains that we will not soon forget, but I know the people of Western North Carolina are determined to build back better than ever.”

Florence, which hit in 2018, was previously recognized as the state’s most damaging hurricane. However, Helene’s $53 billion in destruction is roughly three times that of Florence.

Helene left many communities devastated, particularly in western North Carolina. Some residents were without power for weeks, while others had their homes washed away or destroyed.

As recovery has gotten underway, leaders from the state and federal levels have made several trips to western North Carolina.

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