How a storm born in the Gulf brought historic flooding to Burke County

Helene formed in the steamy late-September waters of the Gulf of Mexico. With nothing in its way, the storm rapidly intensified, drawing energy from record-warm seas and ballooning in size. By Wednesday, Sept. 25, it was already a Category 1 hurricane near Cancun, Mexico, — still more than 500 miles and 30 hours away from Florida.

But even then, Burke County was beginning to feel Helene’s reach. A stalled cold front stretched across the southern Appalachians, pulling in tropical moisture from Helene’s outer bands. By that evening, rain was already falling in Asheville, marking the start of a three-day deluge unlike anything western North Carolina had seen in more than a century.

A WALL OF RAIN

By midnight Thursday, the Asheville airport had measured more than 4 inches of rain, and mountain streams were surging past daily records. And the main storm had not yet arrived.

On Thursday, Sept. 26, the skies opened further. Yancey, McDowell, and Rutherford counties saw rainfall totals climb into double digits within a day. Mount Mitchell recorded more than 24 inches over three days, while nearby Busick logged an astonishing 31 inches.

Closer to home, the Catawba River basin — already drenched from the feeder bands — began to buckle. Burke County’s rivers and creeks swelled, and by Friday morning, the floodwaters were on the move.

BURKE COUNTY UNDERWATER

As Helene’s center moved north into Georgia and then the Carolinas, Burke County took the full force of its water. The Catawba River reached levels never before recorded, spilling into Morganton and western Burke County. Streets became canals, neighborhoods became submerged under brown water, and first responders carried out swift water rescues even as calls for help kept coming.

By Friday afternoon, officials were sounding alarms: The swollen river system was moving “large amounts of water” downstream, forcing evacuations and heightening fears of dam failures. Throughout the region, residents found themselves without electricity, cable television, water, cell and telephone service, and internet. They were cut off from friends, neighbors and families, and, without the modern-day components of communication, no information.

A REGION BROUGHT TO ITS KNEES

The devastation extended far beyond Burke. Asheville, Swannanoa, and Black Mountain were effectively cut off, with water up to what was left of rooftops. All central transportation arteries, including Interstate 40, were closed with many sections of road and bridges washed away.

The storm’s sheer size amplified its punishment. Helene’s circulation stretched more than 300 miles, funneling Gulf moisture into mountain slopes where geography turned rain into catastrophe.

Across the state, rivers set new flood records. The Swannanoa River at Biltmore crested 5 feet above its infamous 1916 flood level. The French Broad rose a foot and a half higher than its previous record. Morganton’s place in this tragic roll call was secured as the Catawba crested beyond anything recorded before.

TORNADOES AND WINDS ADD TO THE CHAOS

As if the floods weren’t enough, Helene spawned tornadoes across the state, including a rare mountain tornado near Blowing Rock — the first in Watauga County since 1998. Farther east, an EF3 tornado injured 15 people in Rocky Mount.

Meanwhile, wind gusts rivaled those of coastal storms. Mount Mitchell clocked 106 mph, while Charlotte saw its strongest gust since 2019. Power outages were widespread, with more than 700,000 Duke Energy customers in the dark at the storm’s peak.

ECHOES OF 1916 — AND WORSE

For generations, the July 1916 flood has been the benchmark for Western North Carolina mountain catastrophes. That storm dumped 22 inches of rain, wiping out towns and railroads and leaving roughly 80 people dead.

But Hurricane Helene surpassed even that grim standard. Rainfall totals were higher, river crests were taller, and the damage — to lives, homes, and infrastructure — is certain to run into billions. Buncombe County alone reported 30 fatalities within days. There were 108 verified storm-related fatalities in North Carolina as of June 17, 2025.

Compared to more recent disasters — Fred in 2021, Florence in 2018, Frances and Ivan in 2004 — Helene stands apart. Portions of 21 counties were placed under “Flash Flood Emergency” warnings, a designation reserved only for the most catastrophic events. No storm in North Carolina’s modern record has triggered such widespread alerts.

Helene’s name will almost certainly be retired, joining Florence, Floyd, and Hazel in the grim pantheon of storms too destructive to reuse. But its legacy will live on in Burke County — in the waterlines on downtown buildings, the scars on mountain slopes, and the memory of a storm that changed our community forever.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story extensively relied on published accounts of Hurricane Helene from North Carolina State’s Climate Office, on the campus of N.C. State University, and the National Hurricane Center. Those comprehensive studies were consolidated with AI assistance. The final story was written by The Paper Staff.