Officials in North Carolina are urging residents of Lake Lure to evacuate as failure of the Lake Lure dam becomes “imminent.”
Topline
The remnants of Hurricane Helene have moved far inland since making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 storm on Thursday, moving through Tennessee and progressing into Kentucky on Friday while bringing “historic and catastrophic flooding” to the southern Appalachians.Key Facts
The center of Helene, which became post-tropical Friday afternoon, was located about 50 miles south-southeast of Louisville, Kentucky, as of 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, the National Hurricane Center said, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.
Heavy rain is falling over portions of the central and southern Appalachians and the region can expect total rain accumulations of 6 to 12 inches, with isolated totals around 20 inches.
Flash flood emergencies are in effect for about 1.1 million people in upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina, as well as parts of Virginia and Tennessee, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller, who noted rivers in the areas can continue to rise due to the flow of rainfall.
