Helene brings heavy rain, flooding, and gusty winds Thursday and Friday

Weather Aware Tonight through Friday for Impacts of Heavy Rain, Flooding, and Gusty Winds from Helene

Thursday : Helene will make landfall along the Florida Panhandle near Apalachicola, FL as a Category 4 Major Hurricane by Thursday evening.

Before landfall, bands of heavy rain will move north of the center of the storm across Central Alabama starting in the afternoon and continuing into the night.

Rain totals of 2-7″ are possible by Friday morning. The highest totals will be across Eastern Alabama, or closer to the center of Helene. This is where the chance for flash flooding will occur.

It will become breezy with sustained winds of 15-25 mph, and gusts of 35-50 mph at times. Some trees could fall and expect a few power outages. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the counties along the AL/GA border, and a Wind Advisory is in effect for parts of Central Alabama. High temperatures will only be in the middle 70s.

Heavy rain will become more widespread Thursday night into Friday morning as Helene moves north across Georgia. Some flash flooding will be possible – especially across Eastern Alabama.

Helene will lift northwest into Tennessee during the day as it interacts with an upper-level low. These systems may move around each other, and this is known as the Fujiwhara Effect. Friday afternoon will be mostly cloudy with scattered showers. High temperatures will remain in the 70s.

Weekend Outlook : The remnants of Helene will stall north of Alabama on Saturday, and drier air will move in from the west. We will be partly cloudy with only a low chance of a shower. It will be warmer with highs in the upper 70s. The weather will be good for the Alabama vs. Georgia game at 6:30 PM in Tuscaloosa, and the 2:30 PM Auburn vs. Oklahoma game in Auburn. Sunday will be mostly cloudy sky with a stray shower or two. Highs will be in the lower 80s.

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