As I write this, Hurricane Helene has passed into the meteorological history books, but the category four monster made of the big bend and Tallahassee areas.
Helene developed from a broad area of low pressure in the Western Caribbean Sea in late September that the National Hurricane Center (NHC) first began watching on September 17th. By September 24th, the disturbance had consolidated enough to achieve tropical storm status, and was therefore christened Helene.
Favorable conditions led to Helene's gradual intensification, and it became a hurricane early on September25th. More pronounced and eventually 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 26th, 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 (220 km/h).
Helene didn't stop there. After ravaging Florida, the storm moved north, where it was downgraded to a tropical storm. It then parked over the Ohio River valley, where it dumped deluge-level rain on Kentucky and Tennessee.
Technically, the 2024 hurricane season is winding down. But thanks to global climate change, it's anybody's guess whether this is the end or not. But what is sure is this. As deadly and devastating as Helene was, there will never be another hurricane with that name.