Hurricane Helene / Invest 97L

[1Tonka_Truck]

He saw all the lightning out to the west and bitched out. I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or proud of the little brainlet.

 

[I'll Call Now]

"I think we survived the storm, folks!"

Lmao he thinks just because there's no rain that there's no danger.

 

[M3xus]

I'm on the other side of the state, far away from the eye. Haven't heard wind like this since Irma

 

[Jump]

Scanner of the area.

https://www.broadcastify.com/webPlayer/39282

Most units are ordered off the road now until the storm passes.

 

[Barry Williams]

Watching these slightly dysfunctional storm chasers reminds me of when Harvey hit the Texas coast in 2017 and absolutely destroyed Rockport before cutting further up into the state into Houston causing massive flooding. There was a chaser shacked up in this shitty little self-serve car wash in Rockport livestreaming the landfall of the storm and everything around him just fell apart and collapsed except for the car wash he was taking shelter under. The sound of the wind was absolutely horrific.

 

[Anonitolia]

this dude driving through the hurricane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojmDeefx6ec

Stream is buffering hard. Dude's out in the dark during very heavy rain and winds and he seems to be running out of data.

EDIT: Seems to have been fixed, the guy's alright.

 

[Return of the Freaker]

Has the retard brigade gotten the rear eyewall yet?

 

[Barry Williams]

Stream is buffering hard. Dude's out in the dark during very heavy rain and winds and he seems to be running out of data.

Imagine driving into what is perhaps certain doom all for, uh, 5490 subscribers on YouTube.

 

[Zucotti Manicotti]

Stream is buffering hard. Dude's out in the dark during very heavy rain and winds and he seems to be running out of data.

He has almost hydroplaned a couple of times already

 

[FatalTater]

WXChasing

 

[geckogoy]

WXChasing

y'all see that guy up on the water tower?


edit: RIP

 

[Zucotti Manicotti]

Massive clusterfuck on I-10

 

[1Tonka_Truck]

Massive clusterfuck on I-10

When they said they were getting on 10 west an hour ago, I knew it was a bad idea. It's 100' tall pine trees in the median and on both sides of the road and big chunks of it are elevated like where they are stuck. I've driven through the panhandle maybe 4 times in my life and I know this.

 

[lurking for the deets]

Here's a satellite gif, multispectral IR
downloading this gif nearly crashed my browser, why do .gov sites suck it's been buggy all day with errors
Tomorrow's tornado outlook, hail & wind is low

Spoiler: Details

THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN A PART OF THE NC/SC COASTAL PLAIN​

### SUMMARY

Tornadoes will be most likely during the morning and remain possible into the afternoon on Friday, across parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia, in association with Tropical Cyclone Helene.

Carolinas/VA​

TC Helene is forecast by NHC to become a tropical storm by 12Z Friday as it quickly progresses inland over the Southeast. This cyclone will further weaken as it rotates around and becomes further absorbed with an existing closed mid-level low over the Deep South. The associated low-level wind field, coincident with a rich tropical moisture plume on the eastern semicircle, will be strongest at the start of the period and weaken appreciably during the afternoon. Hodograph enlargement will be pronounced in the morning, but should still remain adequate for a tornado threat into the afternoon.

A lower-topped convective band will be ongoing at 12Z, most likely centered over the Pee Dee of SC to the Piedmont of the NC/SC border area. This should advance quickly north through the rest of the morning into the afternoon across the NC Piedmont/Coastal Plain and southern VA. The greatest relative tornado threat should be along the NC/SC border area near the coast through late morning. As a dry slot punches rapidly north-northeast behind this band of convection, the severe risk will come to an abrupt end from south to north. Shrinking hodographs within the rich tropical moisture plume should result in a more spatially confined/waning threat later in the day.

 

[AMHOLIO]

As of writing, Helene is in south Georgia at a catagory 2, even this far inland.

Florida Power Outage Map & Georgia

Spoiler: compare and contrast when you wake tomorrow

Estimate of the USA without power:


GA power outtage map.


It's traveling up I-75 straight to Atlanta. God.

 

[lurking for the deets]

The flooding in North Carolina is already getting bad, here's a few warnings that are concerning, some are showing 8 inches of rain has already fallen! Seems the once every 2,000 year flood has started. Must be a nightmare out there and I don't see any news coverage for this area, sadly. For now, I guess I have to stick with flood warnings.


I circled the area that I'm talking about, but look at all these flood warnings! The reds are flash flooding warnings, and the green is watches. Nearly half of the east coast is under a flood watch! I've never seen such widespread warnings like this before.

Spoiler: 8" Rain has fallen

At 248 AM EDT, At 238 AM EDT, Doppler radar indicates another band of 1 to 2 inch per hour rainfall rates approaching from the south. The warned area has already received 5 to 8 inches today, with more on the way. Ongoing flash flooding will likely become worse, and new areas of significant flash flooding will develop soon. In particular, the southern half of Greenwood County has received impressive rainfall totals in the last 3-4 hours and will be heavily impacted.
HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding.

Spoiler: 7" warning

* Flash Flood Warning for... Buncombe County in western North Carolina... Southeastern Haywood County in western North Carolina... Southeastern Jackson County in western North Carolina... Central Transylvania County in western North Carolina...
* Until 400 AM EDT.
* At 138 AM EDT, Persistent moderate to heavy rain across the area today has resulted in between 5 and 7 inches of rain. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the warned area, which will result in additional flash flooding. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by heavy rain.
SOURCE...Radar.
IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Downtown Asheville, Brevard, Arden, East Asheville, West Asheville, North Asheville, Black Mountain, Mills River, Woodfin, Fletcher, Swannanoa, Canton, Lake Junaluska, Weaverville, Fairview In Buncombe County, Biltmore Forest, Bent Creek, Clyde, Mount Pisgah and B.R. Parkway-Mount Pisgah To The Nc Arboretum.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Heavy rain is increasing the risk of landslides, especially in areas where slides have occurred in the past. Be especially alert if you are near a stream, especially at the base of a mountain or in a cove. Watch for loose-moving soil and rocks or a sudden increase in streamflow. Leave the area quickly if this is observed. When driving along roads where the terrain is steep or rocky, watch and listen for falling rocks, mud, trees and other debris.

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding.

In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded roads. Find an alternate route.

Spoiler: Major River Flooding, Damaging Structures

...FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MONDAY EVENING...
* WHAT...Moderate flooding is occurring and major flooding is forecast. This approaches the flood of record.
* WHERE...French Broad River near Fletcher.
* WHEN...Until Monday evening.
* IMPACTS...At 20.0 feet, Major Flood Stage. Significant and damaging flooding of the French Broad River Valley is likely from Etowah upstream to Avery Creek and Biltmore Park downstream of the gauge site. At 20.1 feet, Record Flood Stage. Floodwaters are approaching levels similar to those levels observed in during Hurricane Frances in early September, 2004.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 8:45 PM EDT Thursday the stage was 17.5 feet. - Action/Advisory Stage is 10.0 feet. - Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hours ending at 8:45 PM EDT Thursday was 17.5 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise to a crest of 30.5 feet tomorrow evening. It will then fall below flood stage Monday morning. - Minor Flood Stage is 13.0 feet. Moderate Flood Stage is 17.0 feet. Major Flood Stage is 20.0 feet.
- Flood History...This crest exceeds a previous crest of 20.1 feet on 09/08/2004 from Hurricane Frances. Unprecedented flooding is expected.

...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in North Carolina...
French Broad River At Marshall affecting Madison County.
French Broad River Near Hot Springs affecting Madison County.
French Broad River At Blantyre affecting Transylvania and Henderson Counties.
French Broad River At Asheville affecting Buncombe County.
French Broad River Near Fletcher affecting Henderson and Buncombe Counties.
Swannanoa River At Biltmore affecting Buncombe County.

Ongoing rain associated with Helene will continue overnight tonight into Friday morning. Considerable to catastrophic Moderate to Major flooding across much of the French Broad River and Swannanoa River valleys is expected as a result of this extremely rare high rainfall. This flooding has the potential to rival the Major, catastrophic flooding observed in September 2004 from Hurricanes Frances and Ivan, especially from the French Broad River headwaters near Rosman and Blantyre to Asheville.

This flooding will shutdown numerous roadways. Several roadways will experience strong and damaging streamflows, likely causing damage to roadway infrastructure including culverts and bridges. Primary roadways that do not typically flood will likely flood, resulting in very significant impacts to travel. Travel may become very difficult and dangerous. Numerous structures, including homes and businesses, are likely to be inundated as a result of Major flooding. Many structures may become uninhabitable and some structures may become completely destroyed due to ruinous flooding.

Helene is expected to bring tropical storm force winds, damaging debris flows and river flooding through Saturday. The heaviest rainfall is expected across the North Carolina mountains and foothills, with total rainfall amounts of 9-14 inches with some areas receiving up to 20 inches of rainfall. With the increased rainfall, widespread power outages and life-threatening landslides across the mountains are also increasing concerns. Helene has the potential to cause historical and catastrophic impacts to North Carolina.

The Governor has issued a state of emergency

Governor Cooper declared a State of Emergency on Wednesday to mobilize critical state resources ahead of anticipated storm impacts. The President granted Governor Cooper’s request for a Federal Emergency Declaration, allowing more resources to the state. The State Emergency Response Team has deployed equipment, personnel and resources to support impacted communities, including North Carolina Swift Water Rescue Teams and Urban Search and Rescue Teams, as well as more than 200 North Carolina National Guardsmen.

Source

Here's the current gif of the hurricane right now, still looking like a monster despite being so far inland



Current location / trajectory of Hurricane Helene

Spoiler: Flood Graphics

Risk over 3 days

Day 2

Day 3

 

[AMHOLIO]

Must be a nightmare out there and I don't see any news coverage for this area, sadly. For now, I guess I have to stick with flood warnings.

My only suggestion is to check area news sites. Here's western North Carolina. I insert an affected county into google, click on news, sort by date, & click on whatever comes up that has an acronym like WLOS. Secondary suggestion is to keep an eye on power maps & weather site updates of cities and towns in the area.


Hurricanes hitting at night are the worst. There's got to be pants shitting uncertainty for anyone even near a floodplane but not in it. And if you are there, there is likely no power and no good way to see the water rise.

 

[Croaking Spider]

I live north east of Atlanta, and things have been relatively calm here. No power outage so far. Mainly just rain and fairly mild wind. I've been watching the radar over the last few hours and this storm is absolutely creeping now that it's on land.

 

[AMHOLIO]

I live north east of Atlanta, and things have been relatively calm here. No power outage so far. Mainly just and fairly mild wind. I've been watching the radar over the last few hours and this storm is absolutely creeping now that it's on land.

That's going to be a bitch in it's own way. A storm that blows through is damaging short term, a storm that lingers is dumping rain for a long period of time. According to weather.com, Atlanta area will get the main part of the storm at 5am-8am (it is 3:42 EST as I write this for those who want to convert later). I'm hopeful your area keeps mostly chill, tropical storm and low catagory hurricane winds are much easier to take than the ass ripping they got in the big bend part of Florida.

 

[AMHOLIO]

Bonus doublepost: you will need to watch your ass if you're in a low lying area of course. You probably know this, but don't go driving for a bit unless you're looking to be caught off guard by a flash flood @Croaking Spider . And remember: roof, not attic, if things get that bad!