Hurricane Helene is poised to bring heavy rain, damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge to Florida on Thursday night, but its impacts will be felt for several days across the eastern United States.
Here’s a timeline of how the storm is expected to progress this week.
Thursday Night:
Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida’s “Big Bend” on Thursday night, with storm surges of up to 15-to-20 feet, heavy rains and ferocious winds possible after the storm was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane.
Flood warnings and hurricane warnings are in place all over Florida and into Georgia as the storm slowly moves onshore, pushing toward the north.
Friday Morning:
Overnight Friday and into the morning hours, the storm is expected to continue to impact the Florida panhandle, pushing through western Georgia and toward the Carolinas and western Tennessee.
Local
Heavy rain is possible throughout the area, with tropical storm-strength winds and flash flooding also expected in the area, according to forecast models.
As the storm moves north, winds are expected to pick up across Tennessee and even into Kentucky, bringing the remnants of the storm’s impacts closer to the Midwest.
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Friday Afternoon/Evening:
The heaviest of the rain is expected to impact Tennessee and the Carolinas on Friday afternoon, with the slow-moving storm dumping up to a foot of rain in some locations, leading to the possibility of mudslides and flash flooding.
Further north, a wind advisory will go into effect for central and eastern Illinois, including Kankakee County, and most of central and southern Indiana, according to the National Weather Service.
Wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour are possible south of Springfield, and gusts of 50 miles per hour or greater are even possible in areas south of Interstate 80.
A beach hazard statement has also been issued for Lake Michigan, with waves reaching 7-to-10 feet in height, according to forecast models.
Meanwhile, rain is expected to continue falling in Tennessee and even into Kentucky as the low-pressure system slowly inches its way toward the northwest.
Saturday:
The system is expected to stall out over western Kentucky, inundating the area with heavy rains even as winds begin to diminish across the region.
That rain is also expected to impact Illinois and Indiana, with areas further south receiving the largest amounts of rainfall. Flooding is possible within the areas, with a “marginal” risk of flash flooding in the forecast according to NWS.
Sunday
A flood risk remains in place in some portions of the Midwest as the system slowly begins getting pushed to the east, impacting eastern Indiana and Ohio as it begins to move out.
