Hurricane Helene
 | This article does not have any sources. (September 2024) |
| Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
 Helene at its peak, before its landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida on September 26 | |
| Formed | September 24, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | September 29, 2024 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 140 mph (220 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 939 mbar (hPa); 27.73 inHg |
| Fatalities | 252 total |
| Damage | $78.7 billion (2024 USD) |
| Areas affected | Yucatán Peninsula, Honduras, Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Southeastern United States (mainly Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee)
|
| Part of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Helene was an Atlantic tropical system in late September 2024. The cyclone formed on Tuesday, September 24 between the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba.
Helene entered through Northern Florida and the Southeastern United States as a major hurricane with winds 110 miles per hour or higher and severe storm surge. The Southeastern United States from North Carolina to Northern Florida were under tropical storm watches or warnings.
The storm was the deadliest in the United States since Hurricane Katrina.
Retirement:
List of retired Atlantic hurricane names
The name Helene was retired due to the damage and deaths it caused, and will be replaced by Holly for the 2030 season.
Congressional investigations
Between November 2024–March 2025, the United States Congress, conducted four investigations into how the United States government responded to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton in 2024. The U.S. Congress also investigated crimes committed by workers at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These two hurricanes caused widespread misinformation to be spread across social media. They also caused a political crisis, to the point where Helene was described as the "flashpoint" for the 2024 United States presidential election. These four investigations eventually led to U.S. President Donald Trump wanted to get rid of FEMA.
References
- ↑ "Tracking Hurricane Helene". New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ↑ Masters, Jeff; Henson, Bob (October 2, 2024). "Helene is now the deadliest mainland U.S. hurricane since Katrina". New Haven, Connecticut: Yale Climate Connections. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ↑ Battaglia, Danielle (20 November 2024). "FEMA admin testifies about misinformation, funding and Trump supporters after Helene". The News & Observer. McClatchy. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ↑ Strickler, Laura; Shabad, Rebecca; Ebner, Victoria (19 November 2024). "FEMA chief grilled about government's response to hurricanes Helene and Milton". NBC News. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ↑ Gorman, Reese (19 March 2025). "The House Oversight Committee Wants Answers From FEMA on the Hurricane Helene Response". NOTUS. Albritton Journalism Institute. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ↑ Klein, Betsy (1 October 2024). "The enormous devastation of Hurricane Helene becomes a political flashpoint". CNN. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ↑ Tierney, MaryAnn (2025-07-07). "Texas Hill Country Is underwater, and America's emergency lifeline Is fraying". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
