Southeast Under the Gun for Severe Flooding as Helene Moves Inland

Floridians are not the only Americans that need to prepare for the wrath of Hurricane Helene. After the storm's anticipated landfall on Thursday evening in Florida, the tropical weather maker will push farther inland and bring its significant impacts to the Southeast and beyond.

Here is a look at what you can expect from Helene in the time after landfall.

Impacts of Helene to Stretch Hundreds of Miles Beyond Landfall

Forecasters are warning that the life-threatening impacts of Helene will extend for hundreds of miles past its initial strike zone. Helene is already traveling at a fast clip as it intensifies in the Gulf of Mexico. This speed is expected to continue after it comes onshore.

While the Florida Gulf Coast will be in the crosshairs of the Helene, its impacts will also deliver a blow to the northern and eastern quadrants of Georgia and up into western South Carolina and North Carolina. Part of the reason for the concern is the data indicating that Helene will remain strong enough after landfall to cause significant damage. The rapid forward motion of the feature will exacerbate these effects.

Destructive wind gusts of 65 to 75 mph are likely to be an issue for the interior portions of the Southeast. The high winds will bring down trees, blocking roadways and creating widespread power outages for the region. These outages could linger for weeks in some of the most rural parts of the Southeast. Heavily wooded areas will also see a heightened risk of lengthy outages.