Last week, the outer bands of Hurricane Helene hit most of the Southeast. Meteorologists issued a flood watch in large swaths of western Virginia, and in Albemarle County, the Rivanna Reservoir overflowed, Albevanna Road in Scottsville was submerged, and the flood gates at the James River were opened in response to the high water levels. Charlottesville was hit with heavy storms for several days. Classes were canceled on Grounds, floods formed in areas with poor drainage, and students walked back to their dorms with soaked jeans. For most UVA students, it was their first time witnessing this much rain at school.
Helene formed on September 24th after the National Health Center in Miami warned of a broad area of low pressure over the Caribbean Sea. Western Cuba and areas near the Yucatan Peninsula issued tropical thunderstorm warnings around this time as well. Helene was quickly upgraded to a tropical storm, and she made landfall soon afterwards on Florida’s Gulf Coast, moving north to Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia. Meteorologists downgraded Helene to a post-tropical cyclone in Tennessee before it dissipated on September 29th.
How did Charlottesville’s weather during Hurricane Helene compare to other times of the year? Looking at last week, Charlottesville’s precipitation last Monday was 1.24 inches. It peaked on Tuesday at 1.85 inches, then declined the following days as the heavy rain stopped. Last week, Albemarle experienced a total of 3.22 inches of rain, which accounts for more than the average 3.20 inches of rainfall in October. Albemarle County experiences the most rainfall in May, with an average of 3.60 inches. Hurricane Helene did not reach to this amount in Charlottesville, but last week’s rainstorm alone makes up 89.4% of the precipitation for the rainiest month.
Helene’s impact on Charlottesville does not break any records for weekly local rainfall. The most rainfall in a seven-day period in the area was 13.4 inches during the week of September 13th, 1944. That week, the Great Atlantic Hurricane hit the East Coast of the United States, which heavily impacted New England. Even Charlottesville’s 20th most rainy week had a total precipitation of 7.7 inches, and last week’s storm produced less than half of that amount of rain.
The most amount of rain in a single day in Charlottesville was 9.2 inches on September 8th, 1987. During that week, a tropical depression moved north past Florida and made landfall in South Carolina. The most rainfall among mid-Atlantic areas during this storm was in Farmville, Virginia (about 50 miles south of Charlottesville), peaking at 10.23 inches.
As of October 7th, at least 230 people died across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and southwest Virginia from Hurricane Helene’s damage. Federal support for survivors has surpassed $210 million. UVA is providing support to affected families through Student Affairs. Students can also visit the Student Health and Wellness center for mental health support, financial support, and additional unmet needs. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety provided a guide for donating to Western North Carolina.
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