South Carolina is beginning to feel direct impacts from Hurricane Helene

I AM METEOROLOGIST SYDNEY SULLIVAN. We have been following Helene over the last few days. It has officially made landfall, causing quite a mess in everything from Florida to Georgia to the Carolinas. So if you look closer now, there is a tornado watch in place for our Far East and Southeast regions. SO LAURENS, UNION, GREENWOOD, THEY ARE JUST IN THIS TORNADO WATCH. So that's where a lot of these activities build up to the rest of us. I know there's a lot going on, highlighted in the lighter green showing where we have flood warnings during heavy rainfall. Flooding is still possible today. Heavy rains are still occurring across our region. We're really starting to get into the core of this system, so let's take a look at the newest track, Hurricane Helene. SUSTAINED WIND SPEED OF 110 MPH. So this is very significant as it moves through Valdosta, Georgia. It's not very often that you see a system like this working this far inland, with 110 mph winds pushing toward the north-northeast at 26 mph. So it's sluggish and that will be an important factor in our forecast for today. Moving on to the rest of the morning. NOW THE LATEST TRACK THROUGH THE HEART OF ATLANTA. AND THEN FINALLY TURN TOWARD THE NORTH AND NORTHWEST AND KEEP PULLING BACK AT THIS POINT. That said, even though we're not necessarily on the exact line or at the exact core of the system, that doesn't mean we won't see these impacts just yet, many of us have already seen several inches of rainfall, large amounts of flooding, particularly in western northwest North Carolina and low-lying areas. Whether it's creeks, streams, rivers or even some lakes, there were significant risks of flooding. And we're still expecting several inches of rain could fall over the next 12 hours. Now it doesn't take much to cause flooding, and this is on top of what has already fallen. So that will be a big concern for us. AS WE CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT HOURS WE STILL EXPECT PERIOD OF CONSTANT RAINFALL. Yes, we are in a slight lull in some activity right now, but as we get closer to 5 a.m. the heart of this system is starting to work in the Carolinas and Georgia. The heaviest precipitation and probably the strongest wind will blow at 5 a.m. 7 a.m. The time frame will still be around nine o'clock nine o'clock 10 o'clock this morning. So if you're trying to hit the streets, I would try to avoid being on the streets during this period. BUT IF IT IS NECESSARY, ALLOW ENOUGH TIME AND KEEP AN EYE ON OUR RADAR AND OUR FORECAST AS WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS BECAUSE THEN WE WILL SEE THAT THE HEART OF THE SYSTEM IS REALLY WORKING IN OUR AREA. Strong wind gusts, heavy rainfall and flooding will still be a major concern, I would say from about 5:00 this morning until about nine in the morning, 10:00. YES, YOU WILL SEE THESE EFFECTS BEFORE. And I even linger a little later, towards the end of the morning. But as we continue this afternoon, we finally notice a lull in this activity. Yes, there could still be a few occasional showers, but at least the most severe impacts will soon subside and we will start to see some improvements. THE SECOND HALF OF THE DAY TODAY. BUT STAY UPDATED WITH OUR WEATHER TEAM AS WE CONTINUE TRACKING KILLEEN AND TH

South Carolina is beginning to feel direct impacts from Hurricane Helene

Updated: September 27, 2024, 1:50 a.m. EDT

1:30 a.m. Hurricane Helene update and the latest information on impacts in South Carolina

GREENVILLE, S.C. –

1:30 a.m. Hurricane Helene update and the latest information on impacts in South Carolina