Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26, 2024, as a catastrophic Category 4 storm, ripping through Florida’s Big Bend region before surging across Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. Helene’s ferocity was unprecedented, with sustained winds of 140 mph at landfall and record rainfall inundating cities and rural areas alike.
By September 29, the storm had killed at least 64 people, displaced thousands, and left entire communities reeling from one of the worst natural disasters in recent history. While the entire southeastern United States bore the brunt of Helene’s devastation, North Carolina faced particularly severe flooding and destruction, with experts pointing to climate change as a driving factor behind the storm’s unprecedented intensity and impact.
In North Carolina, Helene unleashed historic flooding, cutting off towns and cities from one another as rivers burst their banks and roadways became impassable. Asheville and surrounding communities were among the hardest hit, with landslides and rising waters isolating residents and causing widespread evacuations. Interstate 40, a major transportation artery, was forced to close due to flooding and debris.
In Asheville, floodwaters swept away a family of three after their roof collapsed. Jessica Drye Turner, a relative, posted an urgent plea for help on social media, writing, “They are watching 18 wheelers and cars floating by.” Tragically, Turner later revealed that her parents, both in their 70s, and her six-year-old nephew had drowned. This heartbreaking loss highlighted the sheer power of Helene’s floods, which overwhelmed even those who sought shelter indoors.
Western North Carolina experienced its worst flooding in a century, with communities like Spruce Pine recording over two feet of rain in just five days. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted that the storm dumped massive amounts of rain across the Tennessee Valley and Carolinas, causing extensive flooding that continued for days.
Buncombe County, which includes Asheville, remained underwater, with emergency responders conducting hundreds of water rescues throughout the region. “This is an unprecedented event,” said a local emergency official, “the likes of which we have never seen in this area.”
The damage in North Carolina alone is expected to be extensive, with Moody’s Analytics estimating the state could face billions of dollars in recovery costs. While the focus of much of the relief efforts is on rescuing trapped residents and restoring essential services, the long-term economic and environmental toll of the storm is likely to linger for years.
Hurricane Helene’s severity and the scale of the devastation it caused can be attributed, in large part, to climate change. Warmer ocean temperatures, which fuel hurricanes by providing them with heat energy, have been steadily rising due to human-caused global warming. The waters along Helene’s path were approximately 1.8-3.6°F above the long-term average, leading to a 50-100% increase in the hurricane’s destructive power.
“Hurricanes are heat engines that thrive on warm ocean waters,” explained MIT hurricane scientist Kerry Emanuel. “A hotter ocean allows hurricanes to grow more powerful, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen with storms like Helene. The increased sea surface temperatures provide more energy to these storms, allowing them to rapidly intensify just before landfall.”
In addition to stronger winds, warmer oceans result in more moisture in the atmosphere, leading to increased rainfall during hurricanes. According to the NHC, Helene dumped 10-15% more rain than would have been expected in a cooler world, exacerbating flooding across the southeastern U.S. The increased rainfall, combined with the rapid intensification of the storm, created the perfect conditions for widespread devastation.
The impacts of climate change are perhaps most visible in the record-breaking floods that have devastated North Carolina. Rising sea levels, also linked to global warming, have made it easier for hurricanes to push larger storm surges farther inland, worsening the effects of flooding.
According to NOAA, the global sea level has risen about 7.5 inches (0.19 meters) since 1900, largely due to the melting of glaciers and the thermal expansion of seawater as it warms. In North Carolina, this rise in sea levels has allowed storm surges to reach further inland, amplifying the effects of Helene's torrential rains.
Spruce Pine, North Carolina, saw over 24 inches of rain during Hurricane Helene, creating scenes of destruction reminiscent of past storms like Hurricane Florence in 2018. However, Helene’s intensity and the speed at which it intensified as it moved toward land have made it a particularly stark example of how climate change is altering weather patterns and intensifying storms.
Scientists have long warned that as the planet continues to warm, storms like Helene will become more common and more intense. “We are seeing a clear trend of stronger, more destructive hurricanes,” said a NOAA spokesperson. “With each degree of warming, the atmosphere holds 7% more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall and more significant flooding during storms.” This increased intensity places communities at greater risk, particularly in coastal areas that are already vulnerable to rising seas and frequent storm surges.
While North Carolina has faced some of the most severe flooding, the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene was felt across the entire southeastern U.S.
In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp described the damage as looking “like a bomb went off,” with splintered homes and debris-covered highways stretching for miles. Torrential rains in Atlanta set new records, with the city receiving 11.12 inches of rain over two days, the highest in recorded history.
In Florida, where Helene first made landfall, storm surges and high winds left entire communities without power, water, or shelter. In Pinellas County, nine people drowned in their homes, and many others remain unaccounted for. The Big Bend area, which had previously gone decades without a direct hit, has now been pummeled by several hurricanes in a short span, prompting calls for increased disaster preparedness in the face of more frequent and powerful storms.
The devastation left in Helene’s wake serves as a grim reminder of the growing threat posed by climate change. As storms become more powerful and destructive, communities will need to adapt to this new reality.
In North Carolina, as well as across the southeastern U.S., efforts are underway to provide immediate relief to those affected by Helene, with the American Red Cross and other disaster relief organizations mobilizing resources. Over 4 million people remain without power, and as many as 12 million have been affected by the storm.
President Joe Biden acknowledged the overwhelming nature of Helene’s destruction, stating, “The devastation has been overwhelming,” and he pledged federal assistance to support recovery efforts in the hardest-hit states.
Meanwhile, Senator Rick Scott of Florida emphasized the need for greater preparedness and a focus on long-term recovery: “We must do everything we can to support the affected communities, both in the immediate aftermath and during the long road to recovery.”
As climate change continues to drive more extreme weather events, experts warn that hurricanes like Helene will become increasingly frequent and devastating. The residents of North Carolina and the southeastern U.S. are left to grapple with the immediate impacts of the storm, but they also face a longer-term challenge of building resilience in a world where such disasters are becoming the norm.
Moody’s Analytics said it expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage. AccuWeather’s preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Helene in the U.S. is between $95 billion and $110 billion.
