(WGHP) — Hurricane Helene has weakened and is now Tropical Storm Helene, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory.
Tropical Storm Helene is currently making its way inland over Georgia as it is moving north at 30 mph. It is currently about 100 miles southeast of Atlanta.
The storm has maximum sustained winds of 70 mph with possible gusts higher than that.
Life-threatening storm surges, winds and heavy rains are still factors to be considered with Helene.
Helene is expected to continue to weaken as it continues north over Georgia before turning northwestward and slowing down over the Tennessee Valley between Friday and Saturday.
The NHC projects that Helene will become a post-tropical low either Friday afternoon or on Friday night.
However, the speed of the storm will cause strong damaging winds to strike inland, particularly in the mountain areas of North Carolina and the rest of the southern Appalachians.
Helene’s tropical storm-force winds extend outward up 275 miles east of the storm’s center.
A wind gust of 75 mph was recorded at a Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina.
As stated earlier, flooding remains a significant risk in western North Carolina and surrounding areas with expected total rain accumulations of 6 to 12 inches and possible isolated totals as high as 20 inches.
Catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash flooding remains a possibility in western North Carolina as well as significant river flooding and landslides.
As can be seen in the above image, the highest risks of flooding from Helene are in western North Carolina with high changes of at least 70% in the region.
Tornadoes also remain a possibility from Friday morning into the afternoon in the Carolinas. The tornado threat also exists in eastern Georgia and southern Virginia.
Surf swells will also remain a significant threat on the coasts of both Carolinas throughout the weekend likely causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
