Helene was a long-lived Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed in the extreme southeastern part of the North Atlantic Ocean, peaking as a Category3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale as it traversed the central Atlantic. It never affected land until the very end of its lifespan as a weak extratropical system, which had minor impact in the northern British Isles.
Meteorological history
In the second week of September, a strong tropical wave began to emerge off the coast of Africa. It was well-organized from the start, and on September 11, even before it emerged off the coast, the National Hurricane Center believed that it could quickly develop into a tropical depression. That is indeed what happened, and it became Tropical Depression Eight on the morning of September 12. The enormous size of the depression made it fairly slow to develop, combined with some easterly wind shear in the eastern Atlantic and influence of the Saharan Air Layer to the north as it tracked south of the Cape Verde islands. Convection was also slow to build in, with little banding at first. The initial strengthening was delayed as a result. However, on September 13, the organization improved as banding became better defined, and that evening, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Helene.
The name Helene has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean:
Hurricane Helene (1958) – a powerful storm in 1958 that grazed Cape Hatteras causing $11million in damage
Hurricane Helene (1988) – a 1988 category4 storm that stayed in the open sea, never threatening land
Tropical Storm Helene (2000) – entered the Caribbean Sea, made landfall at Fort Walton Beach, Florida, exited at the North Carolina coast and regained tropical storm strength heading northeast
Hurricane Helene (2006) – a 2006 category3 storm that stayed in the open ocean, never threatening land
The name should not be confused with Helena, which was used for a tropical storm during the 1963 Atlantic hurricane season, or Typhoon Helen (1972), which was used for a typhoon during the 1972 Pacific typhoon season.
The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season was extremely active, tied with 1887, 1995, 2010, and 2011 for having the third-most named storms on record. The season officially began on June1 and ended on November30, dates that conventionally delimit the period during each year in which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean. However, Alberto, the first system of the year, developed on May19 – the earliest date of formation since Tropical Storm Ana in 2003. A second tropical cyclone, Beryl, developed later that month. This was the first occurrence of two pre-season named storms in the Atlantic basin since 1951. It moved ashore in North Florida on May29 with winds of 65mph (100km/h), making it the strongest pre-season storm to make landfall in the Atlantic basin. Tropical Storm Debby in June became the earliest fourth named storm, surpassing the record of July5 set by Hurricane Dennis of 2005. Another record was set by Hurricane Nadine later in the season; the system became the fourth-longest-lived tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic, with a total duration of 22.25days. The final storm to form, Tony, dissipated on October25 – however, Hurricane Sandy, which formed before Tony, became extratropical on October 29.
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain. Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by names such as hurricane (/ˈhʌrᵻkən/ or /ˈhʌrᵻkeɪn/), typhoon/taɪˈfuːn/, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, and simply cyclone.
Tropical cyclones typically form over large bodies of relatively warm water. They derive their energy through the evaporation of water from the ocean surface, which ultimately recondenses into clouds and rain when moist air rises and cools to saturation. This energy source differs from that of mid-latitude cyclonic storms, such as nor'easters and European windstorms, which are fueled primarily by horizontal temperature contrasts. The strong rotating winds of a tropical cyclone are a result of the conservation of angular momentum imparted by the Earth's rotation as air flows inwards toward the axis of rotation. As a result, they rarely form within 5° of the equator. Tropical cyclones are typically between 100 and 2,000km (62 and 1,243mi) in diameter.
The name Alpha or Alfa has been used for two subtropical cyclones and one tropical storm in the Atlantic Ocean. It was used to name subtropical storms for a time before the modern naming lists were instituted, and is used to name the first storm in excess of the last name on the basin's list (see hurricane naming).
In the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, the list was exhausted and Alpha was used to name the season's twenty-second tropical storm:
Tropical Storm Alpha (2005), a moderately strong tropical storm that made landfall in the Dominican Republic, killing forty-three in Hispaniola before being absorbed by Hurricane Wilma; notable as the first storm to be named with the Greek Alphabet in the Atlantic basin
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The Asheville family of four were some of the thousands of people displaced by TropicalStormHelene's historic flooding ... They had moved to the area two months ago and were looking for housing when Tropical Storm Helene hit in September.
30, Biltmore Estate prepared to reopen after closing for more than a month following TropicalStormHelene... ASHEVILLE - Biltmore Estate, coined "America's largest home," has reopened after Tropical Storm Helene closed it for more than a month.
What Alvaro did next would replay in Obando's mind in the days following TropicalStormHelene, which devastated South Carolina on Sept ... during Tropical Storm Helene when a tree fell on camper.
ASHEVILLE - As locals and businesses in Western North Carolina continue to recover from TropicalStormHelene's devastation this fall, social media can be a powerful tool ... of Tropical Storm Helene.
PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST - TropicalStormHelene's floodwaters had vast impacts on native Western North Carolina wildlife like hellbenders and caused environmental damage the region "not seen yet in recorded history."
by ANDREW R. JONES. Asheville residents could have drinkable water by next week, nearly two months after the city’s primary water system was catastrophically damaged by TropicalStormHelene... Tropical Storm Helene slammed the region Sept ... Andrew R ... .
After seven years in business, Bottle Riot, the chic wine bar and listening lounge that exuded coolness in the RiverArts District, will not reopen due to severe flood damage sustained in TropicalStormHelene.
HENDERSONVILLE — Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are urging anyone affected by TropicalStormHelene who hasn't yet applied for assistance to do so before the application deadline, which has been extended from Nov.
State lawmakers are to scheduled revisit a controversial school voucher bill that opponents say benefits wealthy families at the expense of Western North Carolina communities devastated by TropicalStormHelene.
If the advisory is lifted, it will be the first time that residents will be able to drink directly from taps since TropicalStormHelene ravaged Western North Carolina on Sept.
As power, internet, cell phone service and nonpotable running water returned to much of Asheville and the surrounding area in the weeks after TropicalStormHelene, the sighs of relief practically created their own autumn breeze.
... more regulatory cuts, elevated infrastructure and economic-development spending and increased teacher pay, along with other priorities like funding recovery efforts related to TropicalStormHelene.
