High Wind in Grayson, Virginia

Numerous trees were downed countywide by high winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Helene, many of which fell into fences, structures, and roads, and resulted in several roads being blocked and many power outages. By late morning on Friday, over 10,700 customers were without power in the area. A 65 mph wind gust was recorded approximately four miles west of the town of Rugby at 7:40 AM. Agriculture damage totaled around $60 million across the county, and forestry damage totaled around $15 million. Christmas tree growers lost $281,250 and the dead trees will result in an additional $281,250 annually through 2031. The high winds also caused damage to agriculture structures on several farms. One male passed away after losing his home. Three minor injuries were reported during the storm.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, September 26, and moved quickly northward into the southeastern states, and then turned slightly northwestward towards the southern Appalachian Mountains overnight into Friday morning, weakening as it moved over land. Helene's intensity and fast forward motion led to impacts being felt well inland, from the Florida Big Bend area into the Appalachians, almost only 12 hours after landfall, and there was extensive damage in southwest Virginia. Widespread cellular service and power outages, some lasting for several days, occurred as high winds downed thousands of trees across the region. Winds gusted as high as 55 mph to 65 mph in southwest Virginia. There were three confirmed tornadoes associated with the remnants of Hurricane Helene in the Piedmont of Virginia. Flooding impacts from Hurricane Helene were extensive across the area, and were exacerbated by a predecessor rainfall event that occurred a day before Helene reached the region, which brought six to eight inches of rain to the mountains prior to the arrival of the remnants of Helene. The three day rainfall totals associated with the remnants of Hurricane Helene were highest Grayson and Smyth Counties, where observations of 10 to locally 15 inches of rain were recorded. The Piedmont of Virginia received much less rain, between one and two inches, with a couple areas around three inches. Total economic losses for Virginia, which include Virginia's agriculture, forestry, and other industries, are expected to range between $416 million and $630 million per an economic analysis released by Virginia Tech researchers.