Southeastern USA hit by Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene made landfall in northwestern Florida, USA, on 26 September 2024 as a powerful Category 4 storm and one of the largest storms in the Gulf of Mexico in the last century. With maximum sustained winds reaching 225 kilometers per hour, Helene triggered widespread hurricane, wind, and flash flood watches and warnings for 60 million people across 12 states. Over a million homes in Florida were affected by power outages, with tens of thousands more affected in Georgia. Authorities in six states have declared emergencies, and at least three storm-related deaths have been reported.
This Copernicus Sentinel-3 image acquired on 26 September 2024 shows Helene approaching the Florida coast after charging past Cuba.
Open data from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites helps track the movement of hurricanes and tropical storms and provides key insights into atmospheric composition and extreme weather patterns.
![Download [WEBP, 1.14 MB]](https://eu-space.europa.eu/sites/default/files/images/iotd/20240928_Helene.webp){kind=link}