Hurricane Helene
One of the tropical cyclone disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $79 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($79 billion at the time) and 219 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 70 most significant tropical cyclone episodes filed in these dates, colored by kind.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Losses, 2024 dollars
- $79 billion
- Losses at the time
- $79 billion
- Deaths
- 219
The losses and deaths are NCEI’s, counting everything the disaster did. The episodes below are only what the Weather Service filed in its Storm Events record, which counts damage differently and often not at all, so the two never add up and are shown apart.
By state, as filed
| State | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 149 | 4 | 2 | $5.4 billion |
| Georgia | 209 | 32 | 87 | $2.8 billion |
| North Carolina | 147 | 88 | 19 | $2.1 billion |
| South Carolina | 103 | 37 | 0 | $443 million |
| Virginia | 150 | 4 | 6 | $397 million |
| Tennessee | 55 | 18 | 1 | $157 million |
| Indiana | 7 | 0 | 2 | $850,000 |
| Ohio | 21 | 0 | 0 | $262,000 |
| West Virginia | 23 | 0 | 0 | $158,000 |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 0 | $100,000 |
| Kentucky | 15 | 0 | 0 | $52,000 |
| Puerto Rico | 3 | 0 | 0 | $11,000 |
| Alabama | 13 | 0 | 0 | |
| Illinois | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| Missouri | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| District of Columbia | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| New Jersey | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Delaware | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maryland | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Guam | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, September 22 to 24, 2024A prolonged period of onshore flow combined with high astronomical tides resulted in multiple days of moderate coastal flooding at DC Waterfront. Moderate coastal flooding began on Sep 21 and ended on Sep 24, 2024.
- Flood and Heavy Rain in Missouri, September 23, 2024A heavy rainfall event occurred during the period of September 22 and September 23. An area of 2 to 4 inches of rainfall occurred in Webster, Dent and Texas counties which did cause an increase in area creeks and streams.
- Coastal Flood in New Jersey, September 23, 2024A prolonged period of onshore flow due to an offshore coastal storm + a full moon resulted in higher tides and moderate coastal flooding in some communities of Ocean County, NJ.
- Coastal Flood in Delaware, September 23, 2024A prolonged period of onshore flow due to an offshore coastal storm + a full moon resulted in higher tides and moderate coastal flooding in some communities of southern Delaware.
- Flash Flood and Flood in Illinois, September 23, 2024A SW to NE oriented heavy rainfall band crossed Southern Illinois during the late evening hours of the 23rd.
- Flooding and Heavy Rain in Illinois, September 24, 2024Scattered thunderstorms produced heavy rain and localized flooding across parts of northeast Illinois during the late morning and early afternoon of September 24th.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Indiana, September 24, 2024During the day on September 24th, an area of low pressure moved across the lower Great Lakes region. A cold front extending to the south of the surface low moved across the Ohio Valley during the afternoon and evening hours on the 24th.
- Tornado and Hail in West Virginia, September 24 to 25, 2024Active weather returned to the state of West Virginia on September 24th as a conveyor belt of moisture streamed up from the Gulf of Mexico, where Hurricane Helene was churning ahead of its landfall.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Virginia, September 24, 2024A warm front was situated across central Virginia and North Carolina, while a stationary front was positioned across Kentucky and West Virginia, which kept a highly moist airmass over the region.
- Tornado and Hail in Ohio, September 24, 2024At the surface, a low moved north-northeastward from northwestern IN to southwestern Lower MI during the early afternoon through late evening of the 24th.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Indiana, September 24, 2024Small, cyclic tornadoes moved through the warm sector of a low pressure system tracking from central IL to Kalamazoo. Widespread stratiform rain in the morning gave way to decreasing clouds which permitted scattered showers to develop. Three tornadoes occurred in Indiana.
- Tornado in Ohio, September 24, 2024Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours ahead of a low pressure system moving through the region.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, September 24 to 25, 2024A stalled frontal boundary over central North Carolina slowly edged northward into Virginia. That northward movement combined with forcing aloft to produce scattered to numerous showers and storms in the evening and into the early morning hours of 25 September.
- Tornado and Hail in Tennessee, September 24, 2024An upper level low pressure system, coupled with an unstable atmosphere, allowed for scattered thunderstorms. Of these, one isolated supercell produced a couple instances of severe weather, including the first recorded September tornado in East Tennessee history.
- Tornado in Michigan, September 24, 2024Small, cyclic tornadoes moved through the warm sector of a low pressure system tracking from central IL to Kalamazoo. Widespread stratiform rain in the morning gave way to decreasing clouds which permitted scattered showers to develop. Three tornadoes occurred in Indiana.
- Flood and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, September 24, 2024A warm front was situated across central Virginia and North Carolina, while a stationary front was positioned across Kentucky and West Virginia, which kept an moist airmass over much of the area.
- Flash Flood in Virginia, September 24 to 25, 2024Scattered thunderstorms associated with a warm front produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of south central Virginia.
- Tornado in Ohio, September 25, 2024Showers and isolated thunderstorms developed during the morning hours ahead of a cold front moving through the Ohio Valley.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, September 25 to 28, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, September 26, and moved quickly northward into the southeastern states, and then turned slightly northwestward towards the southern Appalachian Mountains overnight into Friday morning,…
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm in Florida, September 25 to 27, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, September 25 to 27, 2024An upper level low was situated in the vicinity of western Tennessee, while a strong upper ridge was positioned over the southeast coast, which helped to steer Hurricane Helene into the Florida Big Bend during the evening of September 26.
- Tropical Storm and Storm Surge in Florida, September 25 to 27, 2024Hurricane Helene moved north northeast across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, strengthening to category 2 strength before passing at closest approach 235 statue miles to the west-northwest of Key West on the morning of September 27, 2024.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in Florida, September 25 to 27, 2024The center of Hurricane Helene passed about 200 miles west of Naples as a Category 3 hurricane moving N-NE over the eastern Gulf of Mexico around midday on Thursday, September 26th, then made landfall later that evening in the Florida Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane with…
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Tennessee, September 25 to 29, 2024Tropical Storm Helene caps off a several day heavy rainfall event in association with a stalled closed upper low that drew a stream of tropical moisture into the area on the 25th and 26th.
- Flood and Hail in Puerto Rico, September 25, 2024Increased instability along with elevated low level moisture resulted in energetic showers and thunderstorms developing over Puerto Rico. The rain was heavy enough to leave accumulations of 2 to 3 inches, along with gusty winds, lightning, and even small hail.
- Tornado and Hail in Georgia, September 25, 2024A band of showers and embedded scattered thunderstorms developed across the southern Appalachians and vicinity in advance of a cold front. One of the storms produced severe weather, including a brief tornado in Habersham County, GA.
- Tornado and Tropical Storm in North Carolina, September 25 to 29, 2024Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th.
- Hurricane and Tornado in Georgia, September 25 to 27, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River.
- Tornado and Flash Flood in North Carolina, September 25, 2024A nearly stationary front that extended south from West Virginia into Western Virginia and North Carolina Piedmont served as the focus for thunderstorm development during the afternoon of September 25.
- Tornado in South Carolina, September 25, 2024A plume of moisture extending from an intensifying Tropical Cyclone Helene over the Gulf of Mexico interacted with a slow-moving cold front to produce a band of widespread heavy rain showers and embedded scattered thunderstorms over the southern Appalachians and vicinity on the…
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Alabama, September 25 to 27, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in West Virginia, September 25, 2024A stalled surface front that extended south from West Virginia into Western Virginia and North Carolina Piedmont served as the focus for convective development during the afternoon of September 25.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Virginia, September 26 to 27, 2024Tropical Storm Helene caps off a several day heavy rainfall event in association with a stalled closed upper low with additional rain yielding catastrophic flash and river flooding, and significant wind damage as wet soils and strong wind gusts led to forest damage.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, September 26, 2024Tropical moisture ahead of Helene combined with a stalled boundary and instability to bring heavy rainfall across central Virginia. This led to instances of flooding and flash flooding.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Georgia, September 26, 2024Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, September 26 to 27, 2024Helene first developed into a tropical storm in the northwest Caribbean Sea in the late morning of September 24, and strengthened into a hurricane near the Yucatan peninsula about 24 hours later.
- Tropical Storm in Florida, September 26 to 27, 2024Major Hurricane Helene paralleled the west coast of Florida about 100 miles offshore before making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida near the city of Perry.
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, September 26, 2024An upper level low was situated in the vicinity of western Tennessee, while a strong upper ridge was positioned over the southeast coast, which helped to steer Hurricane Helene into the Florida Big Bend during the evening of September 26.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, September 26, 2024Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25.
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm in Florida, September 26 to 27, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall as a category 4 with peak winds of near 140 mph in the Florida Big |Bend just east of the Aucilla River Entrance in Taylor County, late Thursday evening September 26, |2024.
- Hurricane and Tornado in Georgia, September 26 to 28, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall as a category 4 with peak winds of near 140 mph in the Florida Big |Bend just east of the Aucilla River Entrance in Taylor County, late Thursday evening September 26, |2024.
- Tornado and Flash Flood in North Carolina, September 26, 2024An upper level low was situated in the vicinity of western Tennessee, while a strong upper ridge was positioned over the southeast coast, which helped to steer Hurricane Helene into the Florida Big Bend during the evening of September 26.
- Hurricane and Tornado in Georgia, September 26 to 27, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Big Bend region of Florida at 11 PM EDT. Helene moved quickly inland bringing wind gusts between 50 and 100 mph to portions of east and central Georgia.
- Tropical Storm in Guam, September 27 to 28, 2024TS Jebi (19W) originated east of the CNMI as a weak circulation (JTWC Invest 95W) at the eastern end of a monsoon-like trough extending across the Philippine Sea around 25 Sep.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Virginia, September 26 to 30, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, September 26, and moved quickly northward into the southeastern states, and then turned slightly northwestward towards the southern Appalachian Mountains overnight into Friday morning,…
- Flood and Hail in Kentucky, September 26, 2024Showers and thunderstorms on the north side of an upper low moved westward across Western Kentucky during the evening hours of the 26th. These storms also began pulling in moisture from Hurricane Helene, resulting in heavy downpours which spurred minor flooding near Corydon.
- Tropical Storm in Georgia, September 26 to 27, 2024Helene first developed into a tropical storm in the northwest Caribbean Sea in the late morning of September 24, and strengthened into a hurricane near the Yucatan peninsula about 24 hours later.
- Tornado in North Carolina, September 26, 2024Hurricane Helene slowly made landfall over northwest Florida in the evening. Even though its location was far from central North Carolina, rainbands ahead of the tropical system developed across the region and produced swaths of heavy rainfall.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, September 26 to 27, 2024Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25.
- Tropical Storm in Georgia, September 27, 2024Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25.
- Tropical Depression in Alabama, September 27, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane along the Florida Big Bend/Panhandle late on September 26.
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, September 27 to 28, 2024Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, September 27, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall along the Gulf Coast of FL in the Big Bend and weakened to a tropical storm before reaching central GA. The storm then turned northwest across the southern Appalachians before weakening to a tropical depression over eastern TN.
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Georgia, September 27, 2024Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th.
- Heavy Rain in Alabama, September 27, 2024As the remnants of Tropical Storm Helene made landfall in the Big Bend of Florida, widespread heavy rainfall and flash flooding was expected for Northeastern Alabama and portions of Southern Middle Tennessee.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, September 27, 2024Hurricane Helene weakened to a strong tropical storm on the morning of 27 September across northeast Georgia. Helene continued to track to the west and northwest into the Tennessee Valley.
- Flooding and Strong Wind in Kentucky, September 27, 2024The remnants of Hurricane Helene made their way through the Quad State region with heavy rainfall in Western Kentucky of 4 to 6 inches with the highest totals near 6.5 inches in West Paducah and in Crittenden County.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, September 27, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall along the Gulf Coast of FL in the Big Bend and weakened to a tropical storm before reaching central GA. The storm then turned northwest across the southern Appalachians before weakening to a tropical depression over eastern TN.
- Flooding in Virginia, September 27 to 28, 2024Heavy rain due to tropical moisture and enhanced lift around the Blue Ridge Mountains caused excess water to runoff into the south Fork of the Shenandoah River. This led to flooding around Waynesboro.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, September 27 to 29, 2024The end of September featured a strong Category 4 Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in the Florida Big Bend region on September 26th.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Kentucky, September 27, 2024The end of September featured a strong Category 4 Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in the Florida Big Bend region on September 26th.
- Flash Flooding in North Carolina, September 27, 2024The combination of moisture from Tropical Cyclone Helene overrunning a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of northeast North Carolina.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Ohio, September 27, 2024The remnants of Hurricane Helene moved through the Ohio Valley during the day.
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, September 27, 2024The combination of moisture from Tropical Cyclone Helene overrunning a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of southeast Virginia.
- Coastal Flood in Maryland, September 27 to 30, 2024The combination of high pressure to the north and Helene Remnant low pressure to the west southwest, resulted in prolonged southeast, east and northeast winds which caused minor to moderate (tidal) coastal flooding across portions of the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore.
- Coastal Flood in Maryland, September 28, 2024The coastal flood event that began on Sep 23 continued early into Sep 28. Prolonged onshore flow combined with high astronomical tides resulted in moderate coastal flooding at Annapolis.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, September 29 to 30, 2024More heavy rain occurred due to plenty of moisture and lift around the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. The ground was already saturated due to previous rainfall, so this led to more instances of flooding and flash flooding.
- Flood in West Virginia, September 29 to 30, 2024The remnants of Tropical Storm Helene brought widespread heavy rain to the region that led to river flooding and flash flooding in the state of West Virginia.
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, September 30, 2024Scattered thunderstorms just north of a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding across portions of central Virginia.
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, September 30, 2024Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms associated with the remnant moisture of Tropical Storm Helene passed across the region, producing localized heavy rainfall across soils that were already moist from previous rainfall.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2024The 2024 hurricane seasonTornadoes in 2024
Sources
NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.