While Tropical Depression Helene has moved through North Carolina, impacts from the storm's extremely heavy rainfall and high winds remain widespread throughout the mountain and foothill regions. Resident and visitor safety remains our top priority, and North Carolina’s departments of safety and transportation continue to monitor conditions to ensure safe travel.
State and local officials strongly advise all motorists avoid travel in Western North Carolina due to the continued risk of flash flooding, landslides, damaging debris flows, slope failures, riverine flooding and downed trees. Power and cell phone service outages are also widespread.
Visitors should not travel into the mountains and should call their travel provider to confirm alternative travel plans, including reservations with lodging providers, and heed any guidance from local officials. If you cannot reach your travel provider, you should consider them to be unavailable and delay your trip until you have confirmation they are open and ready to welcome visitors.
While travelers should avoid the mountains in Western North Carolina, our Piedmont and Coastal destinations are ready and welcoming visitors.
Go to ReadyNC.gov for current conditions, warnings and watches.
Drivers should use extreme caution when encountering downed power lines and trees or water on the roadway. Do not drive around barricades, through flooded areas or pools of standing water.
DriveNC.gov provides current highway conditions including widespread closures across Western North Carolina. Of particular note, at the time of this posting, are the following interstate highway closures including I-40 westbound beginning at Mile Marker 152 near Statesville.
- I-26 closed both directions near the Tennessee state line
- I-40 closed westbound, Mile Markers 152 (near Statesville) to 63 (near Black Mountain)
- I-40 closed both directions, Mile Markers 50 to 47 near Asheville
- I-40 closed both directions, Mile Markers 20 to 0 from Lake Junaluska and Canton areas to the Tennessee state line
Call Center & Welcome Centers
The Visit North Carolina Call Center is currently operating from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Live operators will offer the latest information and updates at 1-800-VISITNC (800-847-4862).
In the event of evacuations, travelers looking for accommodations may contact our Call Center. Toll-free phone numbers and booking sites to major chain accommodations can also be found here. Or travelers can access real-time North Carolina lodging inventory through Expedia and Airbnb.
The I-26 East, I-40 West and I-85 South Welcome Centers are closed. Live assistance can be found at the Interstate I-26 West, I-77 North, I-77 South, I-85 North, I-95 North and I-95 South Welcome Centers, which are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Evacuations
Check evacuation orders on ReadyNC.gov to stay up to date on all evacuation orders across the state.
Relief
If you’re able and willing to donate to relief efforts for those affected in Western North Carolina, the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund is now accepting contributions.