Helene’s Death Toll Climbs To 182 As FL Eyes Possible Storm

Updated at 5 p.m. Wednesday

FLORIDA — As recovery efforts continue in dozens of communities following Hurricane Helene’s destructive trek across the Southeast states, the number of people killed by the storm has increased to 182 across six states. CNN reported the latest death toll includes two more deaths in Florida.

The death toll from Helene has jumped to at least 182 across six states, according to CNN’s tally, after two more deaths were announced in Florida.

Helene is the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the US mainland in the past 50 years, following Hurricane Katrina, which killed at least 1,200 people in 2005, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Here is CNN's breakdown of deaths from Helene by state:

• North Carolina: 95 people
• South Carolina: 39 people
• Georgia: 25 people
• Florida: 19 people
• Tennessee: 9 people
• Virginia: 2 people

The Associated Press said the number of fatalities so far is at least 178 people, while The New York Times tally of deaths is at least 176. The number of people still missing from flash flooding is unknown, but could reach into the hundreds, authorities have said, as responders search areas in hard-hit North Carolina, and other states, for victims.

Meanwhile, Floridians are eyeing an area in the Gulf of Mexico for the development of a new tropical system.

AccuWeather meteorologists said Florida residents should prepare for flooding rain and wind from the potential tropical storm within the next week.

“We are forecasting an area of low pressure to organize this weekend over southern Mexico and the Bay of Campeche, and then we expect tropical development in the southern Gulf of Mexico early next week,” said AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno. “We expect this potential tropical threat to start moving toward Florida by next Tuesday or Wednesday.”

Florida and the rest of the Southeast shouldn't expect a repeat of Hurricane Helene, Accuweather said, but residents should be on alert for more heavy rainfall and river flooding next week.

This area of low pressure, which is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms from the southwestern Caribbean Sea into the southern Gulf of Mexico, has a 40 percent chance of strengthening into a tropical depression or storm over the next seven days, according to the National Hurricane Center. This resembles the formation area and pattern Hurricane Helene followed.

The brewing storm comes as Helene’s death toll hit 166 across six states, CNN said. Among these deaths are 77 in North Carolina, 36 in South Carolina, 25 in Georgia, 17 in Florida, nine in Tennessee and two in Virginia. Hundreds are still missing in North Carolina.

More than 1.3 million also remain without power days after the hurricane tore across the Southeast after making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend area as a Category 4 storm.

This includes about 492,000 customers in South Carolina, nearly 391,000 in North Carolina, about 365,000 in Georgia, about 45,000 in Virginia and more than 42,000 in Florida, according to PowerOutage.us.

“Environmental conditions could support some gradual development of this (new, potential)system, and a tropical depression could form over the weekend as the broader disturbance moves fully into the Gulf of Mexico,” NHC said. “Interests along the U.S. Gulf Coast should continue to monitor the progress of this system.”

There’s “a high risk of development” in this area, AccuWeather meteorologists said.

"Water temperatures continue to remain warm in the wake of Helene over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico," Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather lead hurricane expert, said. "Not only is the surface water warm, but it remains warm down deep so that wave action from any storm has little cooling effect."

The minimum water temperature for full tropical development is 78 to 80 F, the agency said.

Water temperatures in the southern Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Caribbean Sea are still in the 80s.

If the area does develop, it’s too soon to know the system’s exact track and intensity.

“Most likely scenario develops weak(ish) low pressure in the Gulf this weekend. As most do this time of the year, it heads to Florida. At this point, the thinking is it's mostly a rain event,” Denis Phillips, chief meteorologist for ABC Action News, wrote in a Facebook post.

He added, Some ensemble models do turn it into a tropical storm, although most keep it weak. Rainfall totals of several inches certainly possible in spots.”

Fox 13’s Paul Dellegatto wrote in a Facebook post, “Model trends continue to show low pressure development in the Gulf this weekend or early next week. Each model has its own solution on how it will play out. It is difficult to have faith in any forecast when there is little to no consensus between the models. The main issue is, if something does develop, the track would be to the east/northeast. It does not mean a storm is necessarily coming here, but it is a favored track in October. It is just something to watch… and watch.”