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Hurricane Helene Updates & Info

Kurt avatar
Admin
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As of now the storm is forecast to pass to the the east of us in the Big Bend area of Florida, and come ashore as a major hurricane. It's still a couple of days from making landfall, so it's too early to tell the effects on SoWal.

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Walton County Emergency Management | DeFuniak Springs FL

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Walton County Emergency Management | Walton County, FL - Home Page

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Kurt avatar
AdminAuthor
#2

Tropical Tidbits

Tropical weather and Atlantic hurricane information, analysis, and forecasts by Levi Cowan.
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Kurt avatar
AdminAuthor
#3

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Jim Tucker avatar
Beach Fanatic
#43
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UpNorth avatar
Beach Lover
#5
Every year the forecasts get more dire, the coverage starts earlier, the headline font bigger and bolder, and that cone hundreds of miles wider. Gotta love the media. Pray for Georgia too as the entire state is in the path of the eye.
Jimmy T avatar
Beach Fanatic
#6
Every year the forecasts get more dire, the coverage starts earlier, the headline font bigger and bolder, and that cone hundreds of miles wider. Gotta love the media. Pray for Georgia too as the entire state is in the path of the eye.
We're you around for Michael? There is a reason for the increased awareness. When Helene gets in the Gulf, things may start occurring very quickly.
Beach Fanatic
#7
Stay off weather channel! By the time the storm hits you'll be curled up in a ball haha.
Kurt avatar
AdminAuthor
#8
The National Hurricane Center has upgraded Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine to Tropical Storm Helene. Helene is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by Wednesday morning as it slips between Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and western Cuba and enters the Gulf of Mexico. Helene is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane as it approaches Florida's Big Bend region later in the week.

Thread title updated.
Professor avatar
Beach Lover
#9
We're you around for Michael? There is a reason for the increased awareness. When Helene gets in the Gulf, things may start occurring very quickly.
October 10, 2018, a Wednesday afternoon as I recall. I was in Freeport, Windswept Dunes. We got off easy compared to just a short drive east of us. Never seen anything like it, and I grew up in Biloxi.

This short recount of Hal Summers in Mexico Beach, always stuck with me.
Full playlist of other accounts and footage of Michael for the weather geeks among us. :)
Beach Fanatic
#11
Walton County School District has announced that all schools will close Thursday, September 26th, due to expected weather conditions from Tropical Storm Helene. The closure includes both students and employees, as well as extracurricular activities and SPICE.

Walton County schools are still planned to be open on Wednesday, September 25th and Friday, September 27th. However, the district will continue to monitor the weather with local experts and advises residents to stay engaged with district and school websites and social media platforms for further information.
Teresa avatar
SoWal Guide
#121
NOAA
Wednesday Sep 25

...HELENE JUST OFFSHORE THE NORTHEASTERN COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA, CLOSE TO HURRICANE STRENGTH...

Here are the latest key messages for Tropical Storm #Helene:

Advisory 8: 4:00 am CDT Wednesday September 25, 2024

1. Helene is forecast to intensify and be near hurricane strength when it passes near the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula during the next several hours, where a Hurricane Warning is in effect.

2. Helene is expected to rapidly intensify and grow in size over the eastern Gulf of Mexico. There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula and Florida Big Bend. The highest inundation levels are expected along the coast of the Florida Big Bend. Residents in those areas should follow advice given by local officials and evacuate if told to do so.

3. Damaging hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of coast of the Florida Big Bend, where a Hurricane Warning is now in effect. Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by early Thursday since tropical storm conditions are expected to begin within this area on Thursday.

4. Tropical Storm Helene will bring heavy rain to portions of the western Caribbean with potentially significant flooding across western Cuba and the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula. Considerable and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding is expected across portions of Florida, the Southeast, the Southern Appalachians, and the Tennessee Valley beginning today through Friday. This includes the risk of landslides across the southern Appalachians. Widespread minor to moderate river flooding is likely, and isolated major river flooding is possible.

For the latest advisory, visit: hurricanes.gov/#Helene

En Espanol: TROPICAL STORM HELENE

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Kurt avatar
AdminAuthor
#13
Helene has become a hurricane as expected, and is forecast to make landfall as a category 3, possibly 4.
Teresa avatar
SoWal Guide
#141
US National Weather Service
Tallahassee Florida

⚠️9/2511am Update on #Helene. Helene has become a hurricane and is forecast to strengthen rapidly into a major hurricane prior to making landfall along the northeast Gulf Coast Thursday Evening. Details of the threats and impacts below.

➡️Surge/Wind: Damage will likely be significant, and folks should continue to prepare for a major hurricane and the potential of 10-15 feet of storm surge inundation along the coast. The fast motion of Helene will bring wind concerns much further inland than usual for a tropical system.

➡️Rainfall: Showers and storms are likely to become more numerous today, but these won't be associated directly with Helene. However, their rainfall, and future amounts from Helene on Thurs/Fri, will likely lead to a considerable threat for flash flooding and riverine flooding.

➡️Tornado: Showers and storms are possible today. While widespread severe is not expected, an isolated storm could be strong/severe this afternoon. The main tornado threat arrives on Thurs. as outer bands rotate through. Greatest threat is across our east.

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Teresa avatar
SoWal Guide
#15
Walton County Emergency Management
Here's the latest on #HurricaneHelene from the NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center and US National Weather Service Tallahassee Florida. Thank you for your patience, as many updates have come between the last advisory and now.

Biggest news is Helene is now a HURRICANE and Walton County is now under a TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

We cannot stress enough how large this storm is, projected to be between 400-500 miles wide. While Walton County is not in the "cone of uncertainty," impacts will be seen far outside of the cone, including heavy rain, flash flooding, potential tornadoes, and tropical storm force winds. Portions of the Panhandle are already starting to see showers with impacts continuing throughout this evening into tomorrow.

For #WaltonCounty, heavy rainfall and severe weather is likely. Here's the latest:

Rain: For coastal areas, we do have a low-end tornado threat this afternoon, as we start to see severe storms enter our area today. A projected 5-7 inches of rain with a strong chance of higher isolated amounts is likely. We are in a MODERATE risk for flash flooding throughout the next few days.

Wind: Walton is now under a Tropical Storm Warning, with potential for winds to reach 73 MPH sustained. Our current wind threat likely for Thursday and Friday is between 39-57 MPH sustained. Timing for sustained winds are expected tomorrow (Thursday, September 26) morning.

Bridge Closures: At this time, there are no bridge closures. Closures are up to Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Highway Patrol, with a trigger of 40 MPH SUSTAINED WINDS. Our county does not have any authority to close bridges and you will be the first to know if there are any changes.

Evacuation: There are NO evacuation orders in place. Remember, if we do order any evacuations, there will be a shelter in place for you to go to.

Sandbags: Sandbag locations are still open in South Walton and Freeport. Bags and sand are available, but you will need to bring your own shovel. If you are physically unable to shovel your own bags, please send our FB a private message.

Walton County School District, Florida: School will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, September 26, 2024, due to high winds and bussing operations. At this time, school remains open for Friday, September 27, 2024.

Community Information Center Hotline: For questions about the storm, please feel free to call our CIC at (850) 892-8392.

Be Prepared: We have been preaching this all week - Mother Nature is unpredictable and this is expected to be a MAJOR hurricane. Do not be caught without a plan. Visit our website for disaster preparedness information and sign up for AlertWalton for key updates: AlertWalton.org | waltoncountyem.org
UpNorth avatar
Beach Lover
#16
Fox News doing its thing…
Kurt avatar
AdminAuthor
#17
From this afternoon but a lot of good info.

Edited

Beach Fanatic
#18
Walton County Emergency Management
Here's the latest on #HurricaneHelene from the NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center and US National Weather Service Tallahassee Florida. Thank you for your patience, as many updates have come between the last advisory and now.

Biggest news is Helene is now a HURRICANE and Walton County is now under a TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

We cannot stress enough how large this storm is, projected to be between 400-500 miles wide. While Walton County is not in the "cone of uncertainty," impacts will be seen far outside of the cone, including heavy rain, flash flooding, potential tornadoes, and tropical storm force winds. Portions of the Panhandle are already starting to see showers with impacts continuing throughout this evening into tomorrow.

For #WaltonCounty, heavy rainfall and severe weather is likely. Here's the latest:

Rain: For coastal areas, we do have a low-end tornado threat this afternoon, as we start to see severe storms enter our area today. A projected 5-7 inches of rain with a strong chance of higher isolated amounts is likely. We are in a MODERATE risk for flash flooding throughout the next few days.

Wind: Walton is now under a Tropical Storm Warning, with potential for winds to reach 73 MPH sustained. Our current wind threat likely for Thursday and Friday is between 39-57 MPH sustained. Timing for sustained winds are expected tomorrow (Thursday, September 26) morning.

Bridge Closures: At this time, there are no bridge closures. Closures are up to Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Highway Patrol, with a trigger of 40 MPH SUSTAINED WINDS. Our county does not have any authority to close bridges and you will be the first to know if there are any changes.

Evacuation: There are NO evacuation orders in place. Remember, if we do order any evacuations, there will be a shelter in place for you to go to.

Sandbags: Sandbag locations are still open in South Walton and Freeport. Bags and sand are available, but you will need to bring your own shovel. If you are physically unable to shovel your own bags, please send our FB a private message.

Walton County School District, Florida: School will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, September 26, 2024, due to high winds and bussing operations. At this time, school remains open for Friday, September 27, 2024.

Community Information Center Hotline: For questions about the storm, please feel free to call our CIC at (850) 892-8392.

Be Prepared: We have been preaching this all week - Mother Nature is unpredictable and this is expected to be a MAJOR hurricane. Do not be caught without a plan. Visit our website for disaster preparedness information and sign up for AlertWalton for key updates: AlertWalton.org | waltoncountyem.org
Where are you getting this information from you are scaring people Teresa… Our local weather meteorologists are who the people need to listen to.. You are not a meteorologist the hurricane weather center are the people who know not you.
Kurt avatar
AdminAuthor
#19
Where are you getting this information from you are scaring people Teresa… Our local weather meteorologists are who the people need to listen to.. You are not a meteorologist the hurricane weather center are the people who know not you.
The info is from Walton County Emergency Management. Which is who we rely on for information and action locally.
Their information is from multiple sources... NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center and US National Weather Service, among others.

Walton County Emergency Management | Walton County, FL - Home Page

www.mywaltonfl.gov www.mywaltonfl.gov

Do not be scared. Be prepared and plan accordingly.

We post information from various sources about storms to help locals, 2nd homeowners and visitors, as we have done for many tropical events since 2003.

As of now it appears SoWal will be spared major effects. I am really worried about folks in Tallahassee and nearby areas. Especially along the coastal big bend area where storm surge of 20 feet is expected. That is major, similar to Katrina, and will bring water for miles inland.

Edited

UpNorth avatar
Beach Lover
#20
I don’t think anyone here is guilty of anything nefarious, but nationally, it’s disgraceful how the media is regularly messing with people’s emotional state in exchange for clicks.
Kurt avatar
AdminAuthor
#21

Walton County Emergency Management | Walton County, FL - Home Page

www.mywaltonfl.gov www.mywaltonfl.gov

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Walton County Emergency Management | DeFuniak Springs FL

Walton County Emergency Management, DeFuniak Springs. 49,893 followers · 53 talking about this · 252 were here. Walton County EM is your OFFICIAL source for emergency notifications and disaster...
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Tonight's update for #HurricaneHelene Here's a summary of the storm's overall impact:

Hurricane Helene continues to strengthen in the southern Gulf of
Mexico this evening. It is now forecast to rapidly intensify into a
powerful Category 4 hurricane before making landfall along the Florida Big Bend on Thursday.

Confidence is increasing for catastrophic impacts across our region including high winds, catastrophic and life-threatening storm surge in Apalachee Bay, flash flooding from heavy rainfall, and a few tornadoes. Helene is a large storm and impacts will extend well outside the cone of uncertainty. Preparations should be completed this evening, as conditions deteriorate during the day Thursday. For the full advisory from US National Weather Service Tallahassee Florida, see here: WWA Summary by Location for 30.68N 86.22W with FLZ008/FLC131/FLZ008 emphasis Hurricane Local Statement

___

For #WaltonCounty, we are on the western side of this storm, but as mentioned above, impacts will be seen well outside of the "cone of uncertainty." We have already started to see rainy conditions in our county and this will continue throughout this evening and tomorrow. Flash flooding and tropical storm force winds will be expected to begin in the morning and increase throughout the afternoon.

We are currently under a Flash Flood WARNING and Tropical Storm WARNING. Earlier this afternoon, we declared a local state of emergency for our county (LSE) to allow our team to order necessary resources for response. Additionally, Walton County Board of County Commissioners, Florida will be closed tomorrow, with normal operations planned for Friday, September 27th.

We have had MANY questions about evacuations, so let us be clear. We evacuate for storm surge (water that is pushed inshore from forward wind), NOT rain or wind. There are NO evacuation orders in place. Now, if you do not feel safe in your structure, you are more than welcome to make plans with family/friends inland or take a nice vacation to Biloxi (honestly, we wish we could go with you...kidding). YOU need to do what is best for YOU; we cannot make that decision for you. Again, the forecast is not favorable for an evacuation, and we would NEVER call for an evacuation without a place for you to go.

Sandbag locations will still be open tomorrow in our two locations in South Walton and Freeport. However, the earliest time of tropical storm force winds will be in the morning, so please plan accordingly.

Speaking of wind - let's talk about the bridge. THE BRIDGE IS OPEN AND WE WILL LET YOU KNOW IF IT CLOSES. FDOT and FHP are responsible for making this decision. 40 MPH SUSTAINED winds is their trigger, which is likely for tomorrow's forecast. Trust us, you'll be the first to know if it closes, but please plan accordingly.

And if you haven't taken the time to sign up for AlertWalton, we need you to do so. Visit alertwalton.org to sign up for the latest weather and community updates.

We're keeping an eye on this storm and we need you to do the same! Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. We're in this together.
Kurt avatar
AdminAuthor
#22
Helene is staying true to initial tracking as the National Hurricane Center predicted. It looks like we will get plenty of rain and some stout wind (mostly in SoWal from the east and then north later today.

Dawn avatar
Beach Fanatic
#25
Appreciate you Teresa and Kurt! The calm before the storm.
Mike Jones avatar
Beach Fanatic
#26
Hurricane Helene rapidly intensified into a Category 2 storm early Thursday, prompting urgent warnings for residents along Florida’s Gulf Coast to complete preparations as the powerful system approaches.

As of 7 a.m. CDT Thursday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported Helene’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 100 mph. The storm was located about 320 miles southwest of Tampa and 365 miles south of Apalachicola, moving north-northeast at 12 mph.
Forecasters expect Helene to continue strengthening, likely becoming a major hurricane before making landfall on Florida’s Big Bend coast Thursday evening or early Friday morning.

“Helene is expected to be a major hurricane when it reaches the Florida Big Bend coast this evening,” the NHC stated in its advisory this morning. “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”

A life-threatening storm surge warning is in effect for much of Florida’s west coast, from Mexico Beach to Flamingo, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. The NHC warns that water levels could reach 15 to 20 feet above ground in some areas between Carrabelle and the Suwannee River.

Hurricane warnings extend from the Anclote River to Mexico Beach, with tropical storm warnings covering a broader area including the Florida Keys and parts of Cuba.
Heavy rainfall is expected to cause flash flooding and urban flooding across the southeastern U.S., with 6 to 12 inches of rain forecast and isolated totals up to 18 inches possible. The NHC warns of significant river flooding and numerous landslides in the southern Appalachians.

The risk of tornadoes is increasing, particularly in northern Florida, southeast Georgia, and parts of the Carolinas.

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