How strong will Helene winds be in the Triangle & how much rain will we see?

Hurricane Helene is projected to make its way across the Southeast, eventually reaching western North Carolina.

Though the Triangle isn’t on the direct path, the effects of the storm are widespread, and the Raleigh area is expected to receive rainfall and strong winds as a result.

“This could be the storm that 2024 is remembered for,” ABC11 chief meteorologist Don “Big Weather” Schwenneker told The News & Observer.

The News & Observer spoke with Schwenneker about what the Triangle should expect from Helene. (Note: ABC11 is a newsgathering partner of The News & Observer.)

When will the Raleigh area get rain from Helene and how much?

The Raleigh area won’t see the effects of the storm until around daybreak Friday, Sept. 27 .

Helene is predicted to drop about 1 to 2 inches of rain in the Triangle, Schwenneker said. The bulk of the rainfall will come between morning and around 3 p.m. Sept. 27 .

Depending on where and how much it rains west of the Triangle, there could be some river flooding in the Raleigh area. However, those effects wouldn’t be seen for several days after the storm passes through the state, Schwenneker said.

How strong will winds be in the Triangle? Will we have power outages?

From daybreak Sept. 27 through mid-afternoon, the Triangle could see sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph .

Photos: Hurricane Helene pounds the Southeast US

Gusts could be as high as 45 mph , Schwenneker told The N&O in an afternoon update on Sept. 26, which incorporated new data acquired since earlier in the day.

Because the ground is soft from the recent rainfall, some gustier winds could bring down trees and power lines, leading to outages. However, the outages will likely not be widespread , Schwenneker said.

There’s also a chance for isolated tornadoes on Sept. 27 because the Triangle is on the right side of the storm, Schwenneker said.

Ask the North Carolina Service Journalism Team

Have a question about your community you’d like answered? Or maybe a tip or story idea you’d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.

• If you have a question about the Charlotte area , send The Charlotte Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form .
• If you have a question about Raleigh or a Triangle area community, send The News & Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form .

Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm. What that means for the Triangle

Hurricane Helene could be ‘historic storm’ for the Southeast. What to expect in NC

Hurricane F-bombs: Why many in NC twitch when storm names reach ‘F’ in the alphabet