Hurricane Helene - Clearing Storm Damage from the Blue Ridge Parkway

Road Status and Closures Is where you want to visit closed?

 

Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida and then stormed across multiples states in the Southeast. It impacted the Blue Ridge Parkway on September 27, 2024 as a post-tropical cyclone. Its arrival in western North Carolina followed several days of saturating rain to the region. The storm devastated the area with up to 30 inches of rain in localized areas and peak sustained winds of up to 60 miles per hour. This heavy rain and wind resulted in significant damage to parts of the parkway and some areas remain closed. The section of the parkway passing through North Carolina was more affected than the section of the parkway passing through Virginia.

Hurricane Helene triggered multiple landslides across the parkway’s roads, several of which resulted in weakened structural integrity and loss of road segments. Some parkway facilities were also damaged by the winds and falling trees. The parkway’s roads were covered in thousands of downed trees and tree debris that needed to be cleared before work crews could begin assessing the damage.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a critical artery for community connectivity and tourism and is an important part of the community identity. The National Park Service deployed over 500 emergency support staff with support from several other agencies, including Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), to work on assessing the damage, removing debris from the road, and begin work on restoring critical community access along the Parkway.

• For more information about current closures visit Alerts and Conditions.

• See photos of crews working to clear the road and damaged areas on NPGallery.

• See a map of open and closed sections of road.

 

Common Questions

Expand the panels below for answers to some of the common questions asked about the impacts of mudslides, wind and rain on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

When will the entire parkway reopen?

Sections of road are reopening as they are cleared of tree debris and assessed for damage. Roadway conditions may change at anytime, since the area around landslides on the road are moving and settling. For more information on open sections of the parkway, visit Current Conditions for a map or Road Conditions for a list. 

Will we be able to drive Blue Ridge Parkway to see the fall colors in early October through early No

Check current Road Conditions of the parkway to see if the section of roadway you plan to drive is open or not. Also check https://drivenc.gov/ for road conditions outside the park in North Carolina and https://511.vdot.virginia.gov/ for road conditions outside the park in Virginia.

Will this impact the ecology of the area?

There will probably be some impact to the future ecology of the parkway, but we don’t know any more information about that impact at this time. For more information about ecological monitoring on the Blue Ridge Parkway, check the Appalachian Highlands Inventory and Monitoring site. 

What caused the large holes along Blue Ridge Parkway?

We're studying what happened on the Blue Ridge Parkway during Hurricane Helene. Other parks have had similar slope failures along roadways. To learn more about the study of landslides, read an article about a similar event at a single site or check out the National Park Service geohazard page.

 

Parkway before and after storm debris clearing work

Left image
National Park Service staff complete initial assessment of fallen debris on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Credit: NPS

Right image
After clearing debris on October 30, 2024.
Credit: NPS / Jonathan Shafer

 

Near Mile Marker 390.4 on Blue Ridge Parkway

Left image
National Park Service staff start work to clear fallen trees on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Credit: NPS

Right image
Cleared portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Credit: NPS / Jonathan Shafer