Climate Change Intensifies Hurricane Helene’s Impact on Coastal and Inland Communities

Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s panhandle as a powerful Category 4 storm on September 26, 2024, unleashing extreme winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges. The hurricane continued its path inland, affecting Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia. In the Southern Appalachians, torrential rainfall combined with an earlier storm system to produce unprecedented flooding, leading to the highest U.S. hurricane-related death toll since 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, with at least 227 lives lost and nearly 2 million people left without power.

Research indicates that climate change played a significant role in intensifying Hurricane Helene. Warmer sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, attributed to human-induced global warming, fueled the storm’s strength, making it more destructive. Studies show that climate change increased rainfall totals by approximately 10% and made the inland flooding 70% more likely. Helene’s winds were also stronger due to climate change, with maximum wind speeds increased by about 11%. Climate models suggest that as global temperatures rise, similar devastating storms will become even more frequent and intense.

Despite accurate forecasts and evacuation warnings, most of the fatalities occurred inland, where communities were less experienced in dealing with hurricanes. Flash floods, landslides, and infrastructure failures, such as the near-failure of several dams, exacerbated the disaster. Many flood protection systems in the region were not designed to handle the combination of extreme rainfall and mountainous terrain, highlighting a critical need for upgrading infrastructure to meet the challenges of increasingly severe climate-driven events.