Category: Posts EN

Catastrophic Flooding as Hurricane Helene Slams the Southeast USA

Written by Team Morecast

 

Rivers are surging to record levels due to three days of torrential rainfall in the mountains of western North and South Carolina. The rainfall has been falling ahead of major Hurricane Helene which made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida on Thursday night. The hurricane brought significant wind damage and surge flooding to the Gulf Coast and adjacent inland areas. However, the most long-lasting and serious impacts are from inland freshwater flooding. The death toll in the region is near 40 as of Friday night and still rising.

 

 

Helene strengthened rapidly on Thursday from a Category One to a dangerous Category Four hurricane. It made landfall around 10 pm local time near Perry, FL. The hurricane then moved rapidly north and weakened through the morning hours. Severe damage occurred in this region due to a storm surge upwards of 10 feet (3 m) as far east as Tampa Bay. Numerous trees and powerlines were downed thanks to widespread wind gusts of 70-100 mph (110-160 kph). The resultant power outages are regionwide and will linger in some spots for days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, Helene will go down in the history books for the catastrophic flooding focused in the mountains of Georgia and the Carolinas. Rainfall approaching 20 inches (500 mm) or even 30 inches (750 mm) in a few spots (see map above) has completely overwhelmed the drainage system. Rivers across the region are in major flood stage with several setting new record levels. In fact the French Broad River at Fletcher, NC is expected to crest tonight more than ten feet above the previous high mark! Whole towns and highways are being inundated and swept away. The sloped terrain is also causing massive landslides and washouts. The dam at Lake Lure in Hendersonville, NC is disintegrating and in imminent danger of failure, forcing thousands to evacuate downstream. The rain and wind are dwindling as Helene finally spins down, but the flooding hazards will continue for several days in the mountains and downstream.

Debby Crawling Along the Southeast Coast, Dumping Torrential Rainfall

Written by Team Morecast

 

Tropical Storm Debby is about to cross back onshore along the coastal Carolinas. Debby originally struck northwestern Florida as a Category One hurricane on Monday morning. The storm quickly weakened to a tropical storm but has also slowed to a crawl. Although some areas saw significant wind damage, by far the most serious and widespread impact has been from flooding.

 

 

 

 

Much of central Florida and coastal Georgia and South Carolina has seen 5-10 inches (125-250 mm) of rain this week. Smaller pockets have been deluged by 10-20 inches (250-500 mm) of rain (see map above). This torrential rainfall has lead to quickly rising creeks and streams. It has also overwhelmed smaller lakes and ponds, leading to dam failures. This tremendous amount of extra water will eventually drain into the larger rivers, leading to major flooding (see map of river gauges below). Storm surge of two to four feet has also affected the immediate coast, disallowing the rain water from draining effectively and exacerbating the flood situation. Additional heavy rains will continue to fall over the eastern Carolinas and points north, prolonging the threat for flooding. Lead photo courtesy US Dept of Agriculture.

 

Intensifying Hurricane Beryl Slams Coastal Texas with High Winds, Major Flooding!

Written by Team Morecast

 

After rolling through the Caribbean last week, Beryl temporarily weakened as it passed over the Yucatan Peninsula. However, very warm water in the Gulf of Mexico helped the storm regain hurricane status. It was still strengthening as it made landfall just south of Houston, Texas on Monday morning.

 

 

High winds contributed to a wave of power outages across southeast Texas, eventually including more than two million households. Gusts up to 70 mph (110 kph) were widespread with the Houston metro seeing localized gusts to 90 mph (145 kph). Numerous trees and powerlines and even semi trucks and RVs were knocked over. There were also at least 16 reports of cyclone-induced tornadoes from Texas into Louisiana and Arkansas.

 

 

 

The more widespread and serious hazard was and continues to be flooding. A massive storm surge was pushed into the coast as the storm arrived, up to six feet in some places. Torrential rainfall exceeding a foot was also recorded in the Houston metro (see map above). This combination has inundated hundreds of homes and businesses. It also left dozens of cars and trucks stranded, forcing water rescues. In all the storm has claimed eight lives in the USA as of Tuesday morning, on top of the Caribbean death toll of eleven.

Major Flooding Affecting Multiple Regions of China, Forcing Dam Breaches and Mass Evacuations!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A dyke has been breached on Dongting Lake, China’s second-largest freshwater lake. Dongting Lake is a major flood basin of the Yangtze River, one of China’s most important shipping channels. Six thousand residents were forced to evacuate from towns below the breach, which grew to 220 meters in length on Friday (see videos below). The regional government spent 8.5 billion yuan in 2022 to reinforce the banks of Dongting Lake. Unfortunately, the section where the breach occurred was not included in the project. More than 10,000 tonnes of sand and stone will be needed to repair the breach next week.

 

 

 

 

Elsewhere in China, at least 71 people were killed by flash flooding and landslides in Guangdong province (see timelapse video above). Another river in Hunan province reached its highest level in 70 years earlier this week, inundating thousands of homes and businesses. In all, the Chinese government has allocated more than $316 million for emergency flood relief in recent weeks. Much more will likely be needed as forecasters predict at least two more weeks of heavy rain and flooding for the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.