Helene to bring rain, winds to Memphis area Friday

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hurricane Helene poses a potentially “catastrophic” threat to Florida , but areas around here may feel its impact in nasty rainfall Friday.

Helene now a ‘very dangerous’ Category 4 hurricane

Rain associated with remnants of the storm will move into the Mid-South area overnight Thursday into Friday morning, and stick around through the rest of Friday.

Parts of the area could see 1 to 2 inches of rain, WREG’s Todd Demers says. Further east toward Nashville, rainfall totals could be higher. Wind gusts could reach 15-20 mph.

Todd doesn’t expect a severe weather outbreak, but it will be rainy Friday, with strong gusty winds and the chance for some localized flash flooding. High temperatures will only reach the upper 60s.

Check the latest forecasts from WREG Weather

A Flood Watch will go into effect at 7 p.m. Thursday for nearly all counties in the WREG coverage area.

The rain will start to move out Saturday, and the weather looks better by Sunday.

The city of Memphis drain maintenance crews are gearing up for expected rainfall , a city official said. They hope to inspect and clear as many of the 50,000 storm drains and other key areas as possible to prevent street flooding. Residents are encouraged to clear nearby storm drains and clean gutters to reduce residential flooding risk.

Some streets may temporarily accumulate standing water during heavy rainfall in low-lying areas, but it usually clears up after the rain stops. If water doesn’t drain quickly, contact 311.

Landfall was expected in Florida late Thursday evening as a Category 2, and the hurricane center said by then it could be a major Category 3 storm. It will continue to be a powerful storm as it moves north and then west.

Helene could create a life-threatening storm surge as high as 20 feet in parts of Florida. For Atlanta, which is under a tropical storm watch, Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd.

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