How much rain was dumped by Hurricane Helene in the Southeast? [Video]

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The damage done by Hurricane Helene since late last week has been a lot to process for many, including those who are specialists in preparing for these events.

During a Wednesday briefing in Raleigh attended by President Joe Biden, Director of North Carolina Emergency Management William Ray called the precipitation North Carolina saw across three days from Hurricane Helene “extreme and unrelenting.”

New figures from current and former experts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have put a new perspective on the sheer volume of rain that Helene inflicted.

40 trillion gallons

A staggering number first put out by meteorologist Ryan Maue, a former NOAA chief scientist, was that 40 trillion gallons of rain drenched the Southeast from Hurricane Helene and a run-of-the-mill rainstorm which pre-saturated grounds across the hardest-hit states.

The Associated Press spoke with Ed Clark, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water …