ASHEVILLE - As North Carolina's state climatologist, Kathie Dello was the self-described "weather nerd" who would typically be the scientist telling a couple a good time to plan their wedding. Typically just benign suggestions backed up by data at the North Carolina Climate Office.

But, on Sept. 27, 2024, Dello was watching Hurricane Helene slowly make its way up through Florida and transform into a tropical storm as it crossed the North Carolina border and slammed into the western mountains. It was a Friday she would never forget.

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