Hurricane Helene powered through the Gulf of Mexico toward a Florida landfall Thursday that will largely spare the Jacksonville area from a storm of epic proportions.
A “catastrophic and deadly storm surge” could inundate the Gulf coastline with 15 to 20 feet of water between the Suwannee River and Carrabelle in Franklin County, the National Hurricane Center projected.
Will Jacksonville be hit by Hurricane Helene?
Luckily, Jacksonville is only expected to feel the fringe of the storm, conditions that put the city under a tropical storm warning, but nothing worse.
“It’s going to devastate somebody in some community,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said Wednesday about Helene, but described local impacts that are expected to be manageable but still noticeable.
When will Helene pass closest to Jacksonville?
Helene’s north-northeastern path is expected to shift straight north after the storm reaches land, keeping the center of the hurricane far to the west of Jacksonville. Forecasters said landfall should happen Thursday night or soon after midnight Friday, but Thursday morning the storm still had to cover hundreds of miles of open water so an exact time would be something of a guess.
How bad will Helene’s impact be in Jacksonville?
Tropical storm winds ― sustained speeds above 39 mph ― are expected Thursday and overnight, and could lead to power outages and downed trees, especially where the ground was already saturated from recent rains.
A tornado watch is likely around Jacksonville Thursday and into the night. A National Weather Service risk map showed “potential for several tornadoes” over Jacksonville and for “many” over coastal Southeast Georgia. Tornadoes are most likely between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday, the service said.
Rainfall in most of Northeast Florida is expected to be 2 to 4 inches, but the weather service said “moderate flooding rain” is possible.
The weather service posted a coastal flood warning for most areas of Jacksonville inside the Interstate 295 loop and for areas in Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties east of Interstate 95.
Even on a different coastline than Helene is targeting, the hurricane center forecast a 1-to-3-foot storm surge from Flagler County to South Carolina, which will increase water levels in the St. Johns River and the creeks feeding it. Around high tide, inundation in some areas might reach 4 feet.
Bridge closures: What wind speed causes Jacksonville, Florida bridges to shut down?
Is Jacksonville under evacuation?
Jacksonville has not ordered evacuations but the city and communities around Northeast Florida have set up emergency shelters if they’re needed.
Preparing for Hurricane Helene: What’s closed, what’s open in Northeast Florida?
When will the storm be at its worst?
Winds, rain and flooding should all peak sometime between Thursday afternoon and early Friday, although tidal flooding could linger in the St. Johns and rough surf will continue at the coast into Friday.
When will it be over?
The storm will move north, and leave Florida behind, on Friday.
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Publish date : 2024-09-26 03:50:00
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