GREENSBORO, N.C. — There's not much time to prepare if you're in Florida. A major hurricane is expected to form by Wednesday and then hit the Gulf Coast near the Panhandle on Thursday. Here in North Carolina, the WFMY News 2 Weather Team is tracking the storm too to see what impacts from rain and wind we could see as the storm moves northward on Friday to end the week.
Soon-To-Be Helene?
Right now, a disturbance of thunderstorms is just getting going near Jamaica in the Caribbean. It has not formed into a tropical depression or tropical storm just yet. Once it does, it will become named Helene.
Given the warm water and favorable conditions, we are expecting development to happen fast. Helene is likely to form on Tuesday as the system drifts northward toward the Gulf of Mexico. From there, it will intensify even faster on Wednesday becoming a hurricane.
The current forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for Helene to become a major hurricane before hitting Florida on Thursday. (A major hurricane is Category 3 strength or higher)
Rain and Wind for the Carolinas?
Right now, it looks like the hurricane will move northward and into the inland Southeast on Thursday night into Friday. This puts Georgia and the Carolinas in the storm's possible path. For now, we are forecasting on-and-off rain and wind for Friday in our area.
Check out the map below. This highlights how the wind and rain could move northward after Helene hits Florida.
As of now, rain totals over half a foot are possible on the slopes of the Southern Appalachian from Georgia to South Carolina and North Carolina. This could spell trouble for mountain roads ahead of the busy fall foliage season. Landslides could be an issue if rain gets heavy enough.
In the Piedmont area, a few inches of rain are possible too. We will continue to watch the track and fine tune the forecast.
Wind gusts are a bit less certain and depend more on the track of the storm. Gusty winds are likely to start Thursday night into Friday night.
