Schools, government agencies close as the Charlotte region hunkers down for Helene

Ahead of a rare inland tropical storm that's expected to bring widespread flooding and power outages to western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, governments and schools announced closures and cancellations on Thursday.

Helene was expected to hit Florida late Thursday as a large Category 4 storm before heading inland and maintaining its strength at least as a tropical storm through the Carolinas and Tennessee on Friday. By midday Thursday, heavy rain had already moved into the Charlotte area, accompanied by flash flood and tornado warnings in and around Charlotte. The mountains and foothills were expected to see catastrophic, possibly historic, flooding by Friday, as more than a foot of rain moves through western North Carolina, Georgia and upstate South Carolina.

The National Weather Service's Greenville-Spartanburg office said that the storm's effects on the mountains were likely to be historic.

"This will be one of the most significant weather events to happen in the western portions of the area in the modern era. Record flooding is forecasted and has been compared to the floods of 1916 in the Asheville area," officials wrote, comparing Helene to the 1916 summer storm that destroyed much of the area around the French Broad river.

In an ominous sign, forecasted wind speeds were increasing — which would also likely lead to more power outages.

"Forecasted wind gusts have increased to near hurricane strength as #HurricaneHelene approaches. Widespread power outages are likely tonight as well as the ongoing catastrophic flooding in the NC Mountains," the NWS Greenville-Spartanburg office posted Thursday on X.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management warned people to prepare for flooding along Lake Norman, Lake Wyle, Mountain Island Lake, the Catawba River and its tributaries.

Mountain Island Lake is expected to rise 10 ft above full pond elevation, risking flooding in the surrounding area. If the lake reaches that height, it will be the highest recorded level. Residents living near lakes, rivers and other floodways are advised to follow directions from emergency managers. More information is available at duke-energy.com/lakes.

Helene is raising concerns for flash floods and landslide risk in western North Carolina. The Peeks Creek landslide in 2004 was the state's deadliest in recent history. It led scientists to establish a rain threshold for the state. Anything above 5 inches is likely to trigger landslides in western North Carolina. Helene is expected to bring 10-15 inches to the region.

In Gaston County, emergency officials opened evacuation centers for people from low-lying neighborhoods in Lowell and Mount Holly where residents were voluntarily evacuating.

"The heaviest winds and rains are still to come, between probably 2 and 8 tomorrow morning,: Gaston County emergency director Scott Hunter said. “We will continue to keep residents informed of changing conditions, and we ask that everyone who can stay home and off the roads until this storm has passed us by.”

Here’s a list of school closures and schedule changes that WFAE will update as closures are announced:

• Caldwell County Schools: Closed Friday; early dismissal Thursday
• Catawba County Schools: Closed Friday; county parks also closed.
• Fort Mill Schools: Virtual learning day Friday
• Gaston County Schools: Virtual learning day Friday
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: After-school activities canceled Thursday; Friday will be a virtual learning day for students at home. "This remote learning will be completed asynchronously (no face-to-face instruction). All asynchronous assignments for the day will be posted on the teacher’s Canvas page by 7 a.m. Friday, emailed out via ParentSquare by 7 a.m. Friday, and/or provided to the students via paper on Thursday," the school system said in a message.
• Rock Hill Schools: Virtual learning day Friday.
• Union County Schools: After-school activities canceled Thursday; schools closed Friday.
• Chester County Schools: Virtual learning day Friday
• Lancaster County Schools: Virtual learning day Friday
• Rowan County Schools: After school activities closed Thursday. Virtual learning day Friday
• Stanly County Schools: After school activities closed Thursday. Virtual learning day Friday
• Chesterfield County Schools: Virtual learning day Friday
• UNC Charlotte: The university will be at "Condition 1" operations starting at 5 pm on Thursday, through Friday. All classes after 5 pm Thursday will be online and employees who can telework should do so.

Mecklenburg County Courts have have cancelled all court sessions on Friday with an exception for District Court first appearance and domestic violence hearings. Mecklenburg County offices will also be closed on Friday, as will the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library system.

At Charlotte Douglas International Airport, officials said they were tracking delayed flights, primarily to and from Florida.

Gov. Roy Cooper and other officials urged people to complete storm preparation as quickly as possible.

And Thursday evening, local officials were warning people in Charlotte to be prepared for flooding.

Officials said the heavy rain may cause some rivers and creeks to overflow across the county. During a press conference, Robert Graham, Division Chief of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management said flood waters are not for casual swims.

"Stay out of flooded water," he said. "Believe it or not, people will get into flood of waters because they've never seen it before. We don't want people to do that. Those flooded waters have all kinds of contaminants in them and they're very, can make you very sick very quickly."

Energy & Environment

How to follow the latest local updates on Hurricane Helene

The NPR Network

Hurricane Helene continues to strengthen as it approaches the Florida coast. Member stations across the NPR network are covering the local impact as Helene barrels through the southeast U.S.

WFAE Reporter Zachary Turner contributed.