In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene tore through the southeastern U.S., arriving as a Category 4 storm with wind speeds reaching 140 mph. Helene started in the western Caribbean and intensified fast, driven by warmer-than-usual sea temperatures. These conditions made it stronger, with winds about 11% faster and rain 10% heavier than it might have been otherwise—a clear sign of how climate change is impacting storm intensity.
When Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend, it was the strongest storm ever recorded in that region. From there, it swept across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, leaving a trail of wind damage and flooding. By October 7, over 230 lives had been lost, with roughly half of those deaths in North Carolina.
Evacuation orders were issued across the Gulf Coast and the Southeast well before Helene’s arrival. As the storm hit, cities experienced power outages, flooding, and storm surges, while emergency teams worked around the clock to help with recovery efforts. Although the storm weakened to a tropical storm and then a depression as it moved inland, it left significant damage behind.
As experts continue to study Helene’s impact, it’s becoming more evident that storms like these are only getting stronger and more frequent, with climate change at the center of these extreme shifts.
