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Hurricane Helene was a large, catastrophic, and fast-moving tropical cyclone that caused widespread destruction and fatalities across the Southeastern United States. It was the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida, the deadliest for the United States since 2017, and the deadliest in mainland US since 2005. The eighth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane[a] of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Helene developed gradually from a mid-September disturbance in the western Caribbean Sea within a broad area of low pressure known as the Central American gyre. By September 24, the disturbance had consolidated enough to become a tropical storm as it approached the Yucatán Peninsula, receiving the name Helene from the National Hurricane Center.
Favorable conditions led to the cyclone's gradual intensification, and it became a hurricane early on September 25. More pronounced and rapid intensification ensued as Helene traversed the Gulf of Mexico the following day, reaching Category 4 intensity on the evening of September 26. Late on September 26, Helene made landfall at peak intensity in the Big Bend region of Florida, near the city of Perry, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. Helene weakened as it moved quickly inland before degenerating to a post-tropical cyclone over Tennessee on September 27. The storm then stalled over the state before dissipating on September 29.
In advance of Helene's expected landfall, the governors of Florida and Georgia declared states of emergency due to the significant impacts expected, including very high storm surge along the coast and hurricane-force gusts as far inland as Atlanta. Hurricane warnings also extended further inland due to Helene's fast motion. The storm caused catastrophic rainfall-triggered flooding, particularly in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, and spawned numerous tornadoes. As of October 3, a total of 195 deaths have been attributed to Helene, making it the deadliest hurricane to affect the United States since Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the deadliest to strike the continental United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.