Hurricane Helene's weather impact is expected to bring heavy rain, flooding and high winds to Metro Nashville Davidson County beginning Thursday evening.
The Nashville Office of Emergency Management is working closely with the National Weather Service and monitoring all updated weather models as the remnants from Hurricane Helene will bring periods of rain and possible heavy winds starting Thursday night through Friday evening.
Current rainfall totals from Thursday to Saturday are expecting to be between 4 to 6 inches.
Metro Nashville Davidson County is under an NWS issued Flood Watch from Thursday evening through Saturday morning.
A flood watch is when conditions are favorable for flooding, but flooding is not certain or imminent.
The area is also under a Wind Advisory. This is issued when sustained winds of 31 to 39 mph for an hour or more and/or wind gusts of 46 to 57 mph are expected for any duration.
The Nashville Office of Emergency Management is preparing by:
- Making sure all the inflatable boats and rafts are filled with air.
- OEM response squad trucks have been checked for fuel level, life jackets, and standard equipment.
- Our trailer with USAR-type supplies has been readied.
- Drone batteries for the search and water drones have been charged up.
- Emergency Support Unit members have been notified to be on standby and OEM reached out to several key members to ensure availability.
- OEM 24-hour dispatch center will have additional communication officers staffing the center to help with increased call volume received for weather related incidents that need to be dispatched to appropriate departments. (Street flooding or ponding of roadways, storm drains stopped up, trees down, wires down, power outages, poles down, water rescue incidents, etc.)
In addition to OEM the Nashville Fire Department is preparing by:
- Adding extra staff to boat supported companies.
- If conditions call for it NFD is prepared to add extra boats crews.
OEM urges you to secure loose outdoor items, check drainage systems, and stay informed through official channels.
Stay indoors during severe weather and avoid flooded areas.
It is important you take precautions prior to and during this weather event both at home and when traveling along roadways.
The NWS says now is the time to:
- Know your safe places and clean them out.
- Make sure that you have emergency kit supplies.
- Continue to check local weather sources for the latest forecasts.
For important safety information and weather updates sign up for the Metro Emergency Alert and Notification System (MEANS) program.
NES is monitoring the weather conditions as Helene approaches the city. We have crews ready to respond to outages as quickly and safely as possible to get power back on for everyone. NES encourages all customers to stay safe and stay informed.
Never go near downed or sagging power lines. If you see a downed wire, sparking transformer or any hazardous condition, it is very important to stay away and call 911 to report the issue. NES will be notified immediately to respond.
Should outages occur, please report it:
- Call 615-736-6900
- Text "OUT" to 637797 (mobile phone must be tied to account)
- Log into NESpower.com or report it directly on our outage map at NESpower.com/outages.
- Go online to NESpower.com to view our outage map for near real-time updates.
- We also provide storm information on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
Related Images
Summary from the National Weather Service: "The remnants of Helene will move north and weaken. This will bring periods of rain through the weekend. Heavy rain will be possible through Friday night."
Summary from the National Weather Service: "Strong gusty winds through Friday night. Wind gusts 25-40 mph will be possible."