Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Nolichucky River, a critical location for data, experienced flows more than twice that of Niagara Falls in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, leading to extreme pressure on the Nolichucky Dam. Built to withstand Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) events, even this robust infrastructure highlighted the immense scale of the storm. In this series segment, Dr. Andrew Joyner, Tennessee State Climatologist and ETSU Professor, discusses the unprecedented water flow rates caused by Hurricane Helene across many communities in East Tennessee.
Dr. Joyner also reflects on the destruction caused further downstream, where flow rates overwhelmed stream gauges, pushing them to their limits.
The sheer difference in water flow rates is staggering. Dr. Joyner revealed that a typical flow rate for early October is 500 to 600 cubic feet per second, but during Helene, the Nolichucky river reached an overwhelming 84,000 cubic feet per second.
Even stream gauges were destroyed, with the Embreeville gauge topping out at 19 feet, though experts estimate the river hit 30 feet.
To explore the full impact of Helene and its implications for flood infrastructure, watch the full video series on ETSU’s YouTube page and at https://www.etsu.edu/helene
#ETSU #BucsGoBeyond #BucsRebuildTogether #WesternNC #EastTN #HurricaneHelene #AppalachianMountains #Appalachia #drone #flooding
Find Your Fit at ETSU: Geosciences Home (etsu.edu) Apply: https://www.etsu.edu/admissions
Bucs Rebuild Together: Bucs Rebuild Together | ETSU's and ETSU Health's Response to Hurricane Helene
https://www.etsu.edu/response/default.php
Become Career-Ready with Community-Engaged Learning Courses https://www.etsu.edu/community-engagement/student-involvement.php
Follow East Tennessee State University facebook.com/etsu twitter.com/etsu instagram.com/etsu linkedin.com/school/east-tennessee-state-university
The Nolichucky River, a critical location for data, experienced flows more than twice that of Niagara Falls in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, leading to extreme pressure on the Nolichucky Dam. Built to withstand Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) events, even this robust infrastructure highlighted the immense scale of the storm. In this series segment, Dr. Andrew Joyner, Tennessee State Climatologist and ETSU Professor, discusses the unprecedented water flow rates caused by Hurricane Helene across many communities in East Tennessee.
Dr. Joyner also reflects on the destruction caused further downstream, where flow rates overwhelmed stream gauges, pushing them to their limits.
The sheer difference in water flow rates is staggering. Dr. Joyner revealed that a typical flow rate for early October is 500 to 600 cubic feet per second, but during Helene, the Nolichucky river reached an overwhelming 84,000 cubic feet per second.
Even stream gauges were destroyed, with the Embreeville gauge topping out at 19 feet, though experts estimate the river hit 30 feet.
To explore the full impact of Helene and its implications for flood infrastructure, watch the full video series on ETSU’s YouTube page and at https://www.etsu.edu/helene
#ETSU #BucsGoBeyond #BucsRebuildTogether #WesternNC #EastTN #HurricaneHelene #AppalachianMountains #Appalachia #drone #flooding
Find Your Fit at ETSU: Geosciences Home (etsu.edu) Apply: https://www.etsu.edu/admissions
Bucs Rebuild Together: Bucs Rebuild Together | ETSU's and ETSU Health's Response to Hurricane Helene
https://www.etsu.edu/response/default.php
Become Career-Ready with Community-Engaged Learning Courses https://www.etsu.edu/community-engagement/student-involvement.php
Follow East Tennessee State University facebook.com/etsu twitter.com/etsu instagram.com/etsu linkedin.com/school/east-tennessee-state-university
