Hurricane Helene brings rain and strong winds to the Baltimore area

Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida after 11 p.m. Thursday, is expected to bring rain and strong winds to the Baltimore area Friday afternoon.

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The storm will hit Maryland as it moves toward the Tennessee Valley Friday afternoon, said Kyle Pallozzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Showers and thunderstorms are expected over the weekend and into the week.

“The center of the storm will be quite far away, but it will have impacts, particularly to the south and west of us,” Pallozzi said Thursday evening, with winds of up to 25 miles per hour.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warns that the storm's wind field extends up to 275 miles from its center and that much of the southeast from Tallahassee, Florida, to Atlanta to western North Carolina is at risk of major flooding.

At least 21 people in four states were killed by the storm as of Friday afternoon after the system hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday evening. Damage extended hundreds of miles north, including flooding in North Carolina. The storm was expected to weaken as it approached Tennessee and Kentucky, where the threat of mudslides and flash floods still remained.

A coastal flood warning for the Anne Arundel County coast that has been in effect all week has been extended through Saturday morning. Pallozzi said the hurricane did not cause the flooding around the Chesapeake Bay but would increase the winds that caused it.

Rain is expected to begin falling in Baltimore around 4 p.m. Friday afternoon, with less than a tenth of an inch of precipitation and wind gusts up to 22 mph possible in the afternoon. Additional rainfall of about a quarter to half an inch is expected overnight, along with wind gusts of about 20 miles per hour.

The forecast for Saturday calls for a high around 82°, with isolated showers and thunderstorms expected throughout the day.

A high of around 75 degrees is expected Sunday with a 50% chance of rain. On Sunday night, when the Ravens host the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium, temperatures are expected to be in the low 60s with a 50% chance of rain.

Rain is still forecast for Monday and Tuesday of next week, with highs in the low to mid 70s.

Wednesday and Thursday will be sunny with highs around 72 degrees, the weather service said.