Tropical Storm Helene brought Atlanta's first-ever "flash flood emergency" warning from the National Weather Service, and neighborhoods from Peachtree Creek to Buckhead saw significant damage and life-threatening conditions.
Why it matters: The city has now endured its wettest three-day period in 104 years, FOX 5 Atlanta reports.
Helene's brutalrout of western North and South Carolina left everybody here physically and emotionally drained, including the forecasters who spent the week trying to warn people of its imminent destruction.
What they're saying: "Our hearts are heavy this weekend, knowing that our neighbors, friends, and families are dealing with so much," the National Weather Service's Greenville-Spartanburg office posted in a letter "to the residents of the western Carolinas and Georgia" Saturday night, a rare show of emotion from data-driven forecasters.
Life won't soon be the same for communities in North Carolina's mountains after Tropical Storm Helene.
Heartbreak in the hills: The French Broad and Swannanoa rivers swept through Asheville's well-known Biltmore Village and River Arts District. King Street in Boone, a postcard-perfect college town, turned into a rushing river. Interstate 40 is a chopped-up chain of closures.
Hurricane Helene is one of the most expansive and damaging hurricanes on record for the Southeast, due to its rare size, rapid intensification and rainfall.
The big picture: As of Saturday morning, at least 52 people across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia had died as a result of the massive storm, AP reports. About 3.7 million customers were without power in states including Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, according to poweroutage.us.
