TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Hurricane Helene dropped rain totals anywhere from 3 inches in eastern neighborhoods to up to 15 inches in western neighborhoods and some isolated spots in Leon County.
- All of the rainfall wasn't due to Helene; a majority of it fell ahead of time due to the weather setup before landfall.
- The flooding caused major damage to homes, businesses, and roadways.
- Watch the video to see what caused the catastrophic rainfall for not only the Big Bend and South Georgia, but well northward as well.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Hurricane Helene is known for being a record-breaking storm and the strongest to hit the Big Bend. But the rainfall was something to note. Areas like Liberty County saw nearly 15 inches, while here in Leon County, totals varied, and some low-lying neighborhoods saw rain add up quickly.
Located in Southwest Tallahassee, the Jake Gaither neighborhood has many homes situated downhill, which allows for flooding to occur easily. I spoke with neighborhood association president Apostle Willie Whiting Jr., one year later, who says the buildup in a nearby wetland is one of the main issues.
"We're trying to get the city to fix the problem, trying to get them to dredge it out and shore up the sides of it so the water won't spill over. And that's what's happening right now,” Whiting said.
With totals adding up so easily, it left many wondering, why was there so much rainfall associated with Helene?
While it felt like all of the rain was from Helene, a majority of it actually fell beforehand.
There was a cut-off low-pressure and a stalled front to the west-which already packs a ton of moisture--to our east was a high-pressure system. So, with the winds rotating in opposite directions, it helped pull Helene northward.
To add on to that, there was a predecessor rain event or "PRE" for short, which essentially acts as a rain event ahead of a tropical system. This set up the worst-case scenario rain-wise.
To help put this into perspective, I went over to the national weather service in Tallahassee and spoke with senior service hydrologist Kelly Godsey.
Godsey explained that Helene's rainfall impacts were so catastrophic not only because of the weather setup, but also the types of environments where the flooding did occur.
"You know, 8 to 10 inches of rain, we can generally handle that in most areas without significant flooding, but once you start getting further and further north, the soil conditions change, and the ground just can't soak that water up," Godsey said.
This is what caused multiple landslides in places like North Carolina, where the damage was much worse when considering inland impacts.
Due to a mix of dry air over the Atlantic and the weather setup over the U.S., the tropics have been relatively quiet.
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