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September 28, 2024 - Hurricane Helene
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After traversing the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region at 11:10 p.m. EDT on Thursday, September 26, 2024. It crossed the coastline as a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (225.3 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center—the strongest landfall on record for the Big Bend of Florida.
The powerful hurricane pushed a catastrophic storm surge in front of it, breaking records for the highest storm surge in the Big Bend and for the highest modern-era surge in Tampa-St. Petersburg, according to the Weather Channel. Early models suggest that the storm surge was at least 15 feet in the Big Bend region; this will be verified in the coming days as the region becomes accessible.
Once ashore, Helene’s wind speed dropped quickly, but torrential rain battered a wide swath of the Southeastern United States, triggering severe flooding in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Rain and strong wind gusts also impacted Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia on September 27.
The National Guard was called to help with swift water rescues in several states, and federal emergency declarations were in effect for Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Early in the day, more than 3 million people were under flash flood emergencies, according to The Weather Channel.
At least forty deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Helene in the first twenty hours after landfall. The Washington Post reported that 19 people were killed in South Carolina, 11 in Georgia, 7 in Florida, 2 in North Carolina, and one in Virginia. More than 4.5 million customers lost power across the southeast, including customers in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee.
On September 26, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the expansive and deadly Hurricane Helene approaching Florida. At the time the image was acquired, the storm was still strengthening. It sported a large, cloud-filled eye and convective banding stretched far northward over much of the Southeastern United States.
NASA’s Disasters Response Coordination System (DRCS) continues to coordinate closely with federal, state, and voluntary agencies responding to Helene. NASA DRCS team members are working to identify areas where Earth observation data could be most useful to the response efforts and are processing satellite data to generate maps that provide valuable situational awareness. To read more about DRCS and NASA’s response to Helene, click here.
On September 23, NASA’s Earth Observatory ran a story explaining how warm Gulf waters helped feed Hurricane Helene, allowing it to reach major hurricane strength. That story, titled “Ocean Heat for Hurricane Helene” can be found by clicking here.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/26/2024
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m (2.7 MB), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
After traversing the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region at 11:10 p.m. EDT on Thursday, September 26, 2024. It crossed the coastline as a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (225.3 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center—the strongest landfall on record for the Big Bend of Florida.
The powerful hurricane pushed a catastrophic storm surge in front of it, breaking records for the highest storm surge in the Big Bend and for the highest modern-era surge in Tampa-St. Petersburg, according to the Weather Channel. Early models suggest that the storm surge was at least 15 feet in the Big Bend region; this will be verified in the coming days as the region becomes accessible.
Once ashore, Helene’s wind speed dropped quickly, but torrential rain battered a wide swath of the Southeastern United States, triggering severe flooding in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Rain and strong wind gusts also impacted Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia on September 27.
The National Guard was called to help with swift water rescues in several states, and federal emergency declarations were in effect for Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Early in the day, more than 3 million people were under flash flood emergencies, according to The Weather Channel.
At least forty deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Helene in the first twenty hours after landfall. The Washington Post reported that 19 people were killed in South Carolina, 11 in Georgia, 7 in Florida, 2 in North Carolina, and one in Virginia. More than 4.5 million customers lost power across the southeast, including customers in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee.
On September 26, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the expansive and deadly Hurricane Helene approaching Florida. At the time the image was acquired, the storm was still strengthening. It sported a large, cloud-filled eye and convective banding stretched far northward over much of the Southeastern United States.
NASA’s Disasters Response Coordination System (DRCS) continues to coordinate closely with federal, state, and voluntary agencies responding to Helene. NASA DRCS team members are working to identify areas where Earth observation data could be most useful to the response efforts and are processing satellite data to generate maps that provide valuable situational awareness. To read more about DRCS and NASA’s response to Helene, click here.
On September 23, NASA’s Earth Observatory ran a story explaining how warm Gulf waters helped feed Hurricane Helene, allowing it to reach major hurricane strength. That story, titled “Ocean Heat for Hurricane Helene” can be found by clicking here.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/26/2024
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m (2.7 MB), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
