Tropical Storm — Aiken, South Carolina

2024-09-27 · Aiken, South Carolina

Event narrative

Widespread tree and power line damage throughout the county. Falling trees caused damage to structures across the county. At least 1323 homes sustained some level of damage including 35 destroyed and 326 with major damage. South Carolina Forestry estimated 4.3 million dollars in timber loss. Most of the county was without power for an extended period of time. Many roads were closed, some for an extended period. NWS storm survey estimated maximum wind gusts around between 80-100 mph based on how widespread the damage was, especially near the Savannah River. A mesonet site in the town of Aiken recorded a max sustained wind of 48 mph and max gust of 72 mph. Areas of flooding occurred with two day rainfall totals generally around 4 to 7 inches. Maximum observed rainfall was from Aiken COOP which measured 7.36 inches of rain. Four direct fatalities occurred when trees fell of homes, however, seven additional indirect fatalities attributed to medical emergencies that occurred during power outages and a house fire started by a candle.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. Helene made landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida the night of September 26 before quickly moving inland into east central Georgia by early morning on September 27. Helene weakened to a strong tropical storm and produced widespread significant wind damage, including wind gusts above 100 mph across east central Georgia and central South Carolina as well as numerous tornadoes. Numerous fatalities and injuries were reported associated with the passage of Helene.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1209356. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.