Rain, tornado threat from Hurricane Helene continues through Friday morning

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Hurricane Helene will continue to bring pockets of heavy rain, gusty winds, and a tornado threat to the Lowcountry through Friday morning as it tracks across the southeastern U.S.

Helene made landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm in Florida’s Big Bend region around 11:10 p.m. on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It had maximum stained winds of 140 mph and was moving north-northeast at 24 mph.

Forecasters said the storm is expected to turn toward the north overnight, taking the center over Georgia. It is then expected to turn northwestward and slow down as it moves over the Tennessee Valley into Saturday.

A tropical storm warning is in effect across the Lowcountry. Bands of showers and thunderstorms will continue to roll in off of the Atlantic Ocean over the next several hours and another 1-2″ of rain is possible.

Wind speeds could range from 25-35 mph with gusts to 60 mph throughout the Charleston area into Friday morning.

“[The storm] is going to move into Georgia and once it does it’s going to pull more rain bands our way,” Storm Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Rob Fowler said. “It looks like it’s going to be a very busy overnight for us as we still see some strong thunderstorms and any of these could produce a tornado or what could be a tornado.”

A tornado watch has been extended for much of South Carolina through 8 a.m. Friday.

Flooding has already prompted multiple road closures in downtown Charleston. City leaders implemented the mayor’s flood mitigation plan in anticipation of flooding from heavy rainfall and high tide.

The next high tide will be at 4:36 a.m., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.