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Hurricane specialist explains why deadly Helene had so much power for far-reaching destruction

This Week In South Florida: Michael Lowry

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Fast-moving Hurricane Helene was large and powerful. Its widespread storm surge devastated some coastal areas in Florida, and its far-reaching heavy rains affected Georgia, South Carolina, and mountainous regions in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Michael Lowry, Local 10 News Weather Authority’s hurricane specialist and storm surge expert, said the nature of the hurricane is possible because of the sea and atmospheric temperatures. At the beginning of the hurricane season, there were warmer temperatures.

“What happens as you get into the fall months, is the atmosphere cools faster than the ocean does, and that has made for a less stable atmosphere,” Lowry said on Sunday during This Week In South Florida.

Related data: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports 14 consecutive months of record global heat

The eye of the storm hit the Big Bend area where hurricanes Idalia and Debby hit in the last 13 months. The storm moved up to 30 mph inland. Atlanta experienced a record 48 hours of rainfall. The flooding was catastrophic there and in the Asheville area.

“This is the most extensive flooding that I have seen in the mountains,” Lowry said.

There were tornadoes in South Carolina. A hospital had to evacuate in Tennessee.

“We are seeing kind of the peak of the hurricane season, right now — much later in the season than we typically would,” Lowry said.

Related data: NASA analysis confirms a year of monthly temperature records

The National Hurricane Center on Helene: It moved up to 24 mph offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Its 120 mph winds created storm surges as high as 15 feet. When it made landfall, on Thursday, as a Category 4 hurricane, Helene was about 350 miles wide and its winds reached 140 mph.

Lowry said a hurricane-hunting drone went into the eye of Helene and found it was moving at 160 mph. The death toll related to Helene had increased to at least 64 on Sunday afternoon.

Adapting to the powerful storms will prove challenging in South Florida. On the future of construction, Lowry said barriers like the AquaFence that protected a hospital in Tampa, would not work in the Miami area because of the bedrock.

“We have porous limestone, so the water is not just a problem laterally,” Lowry said adding that building higher is the solution.

The hurricane season is from June to Nov. 30.

INTERACTIVE SLIDERS

Satellite images by Google Maps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show areas before and after Hurricane Helene in Florida’s Taylor and Levy counties. Move the middle bar from side to side to see the changes.

DEKLE BEACH

DARK ISLAND

KEATON BEACH

CEDAR KEY

STEINHATCHEE

FISH CREEK

BIRD ISLAND

EZELL BEACH

Sources: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite images on Maptiler with OpenStreetMap, Google Earth and Google Map views, and Knightlab JuxtaposeX (Opensource code)

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES, visit Local 10′s hurricane page, the weather page for the hourly local forecast, sign up for the free Talking Tropics newsletter and download the free tracker mobile app on the Apple Store or Google Play.DOWNLOAD Local 10′s 2024 Hurricane Survival Guide.


About the Authors
Janine Stanwood headshot

Janine Stanwood joined Local 10 News in February 2004 as an assignment editor. She is now a general assignment reporter. Before moving to South Florida from her Washington home, Janine was the senior legislative correspondent for a United States senator on Capitol Hill.

Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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