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Community members, firefighters' families, and city council members were in attendance at the service.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Greensboro Fire Department held a memorial service on Saturday, Oct. 5 to honor fallen firefighters throughout their history.

Not only were Greensboro firefighters in attendance, but so were community members, firefighters' families, and city council members.

Dave Coker, the captain of the Greensboro Fire Department, said it means a lot to honor those who've lost their lives.

"The commitment to do this job, whether it was 30 years ago or last year. Um it, it takes a toll and uh the, the number of fires that, that, that these, these men fought the number of medical emergencies they responded to. We really can't calculate the force for good they were in the city of Greensboro,” Coker said.

He also briefly talked about the 20 personnel from Greensboro deployed in western North Carolina, saying he couldn't be more proud of them.

"To know that um we have those personnel in the western part of the state uh rescuing uh citizens up there. It's a big deal. It, it means a lot,” Coker said.

He said the people deployed have done tremendous acts of bravery -- and that he's inspired by the people he works with.

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Two Greensboro pilots alongside the Petty Family Foundation are doing their part to help relief efforts after Helene.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — All across the state, we've seen hurricane relief show up in all forms of transportation; from semi-trucks to helicopters.

One week after Helene hit western North Carolina, there's a homegrown relief effort coming from Greensboro, WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman saw it in action.

Air drops have become the norm in western North Carolina, two young pilots who fly out of Greensboro wanted to pitch in, with the help of the Petty Family Foundation, they've sent thousands of pounds of donations out west.

Pilots flying out of Greensboro could have never imagined what they would see in western North Carolina, "some of my seasoned pilots that have seen actual combat, they're basically saying that sometimes… it's worse… it's like a war zone right now," Aaron Elder said.

Dozens of pilots have stopped by PTI Airport picking up anywhere from 600 to 2,000 pounds per flight. From water bottles to diapers, food and cleaning supplies, pilots based in the Triad and beyond, as well as the Petty Family Foundation, have been rallying together in support of western North Carolina.

"We had people coming with no shoes on, we had people saying that they need food, they need water, they have not received anything for days," Elder said.

Elder is one of two Greensboro pilots who came up with the idea. He and fellow Greensboro pilot Rylee Gaus said they couldn't just stand by.

"This is so unprecedented in our history for sure, especially something to this scale. No one was prepared," Gaus said.

RELATED: 'I love you' | Dolly Parton, Walmart to donate millions to help Helene flood victims

Gaus said when storm videos started hitting social media on Friday, she couldn't stop crying.

"I love being able to have a skill that I can use to help people in a way that I normally couldn't help people," Gaus said.

The Petty Family Foundation has been able to use name recognition to increase donations and assistance.

"Richard petty. I mean, Richard Petty, that's one of the things when you think of North Carolina, you think of NASCAR, you can't not think of the king!" Director of Petty Family Foundation, Shannon Newman said.

Even though these young pilots are just starting out in their aviation careers, they say they've connected with pilots in the area like never before.

"Moving here without any type of connection, any family or friends, this is honestly helped get us acquainted into this vast, generous network of pilots," Elder said.

The group will continue taking donations at PTI Airport Saturday, October 4, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 1060 PTI Drive.

They're also in need of volunteers to look through donations, and boxes to send those donations in.

RELATED: Helene supplies & donations: Rumors claim the Red Cross & FEMA are confiscating them, but it's not true.

There are new systems forming in the tropical Atlantic right now. Here's where they're going.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — After a major storm hits it's natural to be on edge for "the next one". Right now, there are rumors swirling on social media about more big storms forming and heading toward the same areas.

Let us be clear. That's not the case right now. The WFMY News 2 Weather Team is on top of it and has the answers on what's forming and where it's going.

Kirk became a hurricane on Tuesday evening. The storm is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean halfway between Africa and the Caribbean.

Sometimes these storms can become a threat to the East Coast of the U.S., but this isn't one of those storms. Instead, steering winds will guide Kirk to the northwest and then it will get curved farther north and toward the northeast away from the United States.

Kirk is not a threat to land.

Credit: WFMY News 2

Just behind Kirk, the next storm is brewing. This is an area of thunderstorms that is clustering together with low pressure forming. It is almost organized now, and will likely become a tropical depression or a tropical storm as early as Wednesday.

Credit: WFMY News 2

The next storm to form will be Leslie. It is right behind Kirk.

Next week, we'll focus our attention toward the Gulf and the Caribbean. It's possible that there could be a new tropical depression or tropical storm form in this area by the weekend or early next week.

As of right now, if a storm were to form it's unlikely to be a threat to the Carolinas. The steering winds will be different than they were this past week.

Credit: WFMY News 2

A disturbance could become a tropical depression in the Gulf by early next week.

This time, any storm that forms that way would have a harder time getting north and would more likely move to the east passing to our south.

We'll keep you posted and let you know if this changes going forward.

As of now, nothing to be concerned about.

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How could a storm hit so far away in Florida and cause so much damage here? Our WFMY Weather Team explains

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — The devastation from Hurricane Helene in the North Carolina mountains is widespread. Record-setting floods and very high winds hit the area in a way that hasn't been seen in this generation.

But why was it so bad so far away from where the storm made landfall in Florida? Is it unusual? WFMY News 2's Chief Meteorologist Tim Buckley is here to explain what weather factors were at play to make the storm happen in the first place and why it was so destructive in the mountains.

To understand what happened we have to go back before Helene was even nearby. In the days leading up to the hurricane the weather setup featured a stalled front just west of the Appalachian Mountains.

As you'll see below, the front acted as a focal point for tropical moisture to be drawn northward from the south. Simply put, it was sucking up rainfall from the south and bringing it to the mountains and Piedmont of Georgia and the Carolinas.

Everybody in this region saw a good amount of rain over several days but the North Carolina mountains had the highest totals. A widespread 8 to 12 inches was recorded in many areas, which caused creeks, streams, and rivers to rise and flood in some cases. Not only that, but the ground became very saturated leaving little room for additional water.

Credit: WFMY News 2

This "predecessor rain event" made the Appalachians extremely vulnerable to any heavy rain, let alone a major hurricane heading that way like Helene. It made matters much worse.

Now let's talk about Hurricane Helene. The storm took a track that presented a "worst-case scenario" for the Southern Appalachians for a few reasons.

After Helene entered the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm it quickly strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane before hitting land near Florida. Of course, North Carolina is a good distance away from Florida, so why was the worst flooding here?

Helene's remnant eyewall tracked through Georgia at a high rate of speed that didn't allow time for it to weaken much. Then, the storm actually curved inland toward Tennessee as it was "pulled" by another upper-level low-pressure system sitting off to the west. This inland motion was bad news for the mountains.

If you look at the image below you'll notice that on the right-hand side of a storm's track the winds are blowing in the same direction the storm is moving. This is where the strongest winds air. In this case, those winds were hitting the mountains "head on" causing that air to directly rise up thousands of feet of elevation.

Credit: WFMY News 2

When air rises, it enhanced the rate of rainfall and makes for heavier more intense rainbands. When you have mountains that are 3,000-6,500 feet tall that rainfall gets enhanced in a dramatic way and resulted in 20 to 30 inch totals for this area.

This amount of rain can't be handled by anyone, but the terrain of the mountains funnels that water into the valleys and rivers creating dramatic flash flood rises that prove deadly in these situations.

On top of that, the saturated ground doesn't hold trees in place very well. Wind gusts of 50-100 mph easily brought down countless trees and power lines across the region.

If you'll take a second for a quick weather lesson, mountains can change the weather simply because of their terrain. The tall peaks force air to rise in a way that it doesn't have to otherwise.

When air rises it cools and condenses, making clouds or rain showers. If there is already rain there, the mountains can turn showers into downpours. With a major hurricane running into a mountain range it's a recipe for a flooding disaster.

Credit: WFMY News 2

Mountains can change the weather just by their terrain. Forcing air to rise upward cools it,and condenses it forming clouds and rain.

Tropical systems have hit the mountains hard before but this one is certainly one of the worst in history because of the rainfall ahead of time, the perfect track hitting the mountains "head-on", but also one other factor.

When Helene entered the Gulf of Mexico, the amount of warmth in the water was off the charts. Hurricanes get their fuel from warmth in the oceans which aids in the rising air needed to fuel thunderstorms that make up the storm.

The chart below helps to display what we call the "ocean heat content" which measures water warmth over a large depth of the ocean. This year, the heat content is higher than has been measured before.

The ocean heat content averaged over the Gulf of Mexico is still record high, so plenty of fuel for whatever happens to pass over it. pic.twitter.com/XX3U7UXu1Z

— Brian McNoldy (@BMcNoldy) September 28, 2024

With more warmth in the water, storms can get stronger more quickly. In recent years we've noticed an increase in the percentage of tropical systems that get really strong really quickly - also called "rapid intensification".

Helene got stronger than it would have otherwise if the water wasn't so warm. This can mean higher winds and more rainfall after it hits land.

A warmer climate means more frequent heavy rain events and means that a storm like this one has more water to use for rainfall, enhancing the flood threat.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — WFMY News 2 is partnering with the Greensboro Elks Lodge and Friendly Shopping Center to host a supply collection drive to support recovery in Western North Carolina. People in Western North Carolina have been devastated by the rain, flooding, and mudslides created by Hurricane Helene's remnants. Several communities have been washed away. Others have massive amounts of cleanup ahead as they work to rebuild their lives.

WFMY News 2 knows people in the Triad want to help. So we're hosting a drive to get some of the most needed supplies to impacted communities to our west.

Date: Thursday, 10/3

Time: 6 am -6 pm

Location: Friendly Shopping Center (near the Circle K/Walgreens/Old Navy)

We're asking the community bring these immediately-needed supplies:

The items will be get distributed in Asheville, Hendersonville, and Boone.

Special thanks to the following organizations helping make this supply drive happen:

Greensboro Elks Lodge #602

Friendly Shopping Center

Ray Self Storage

Walker's Express

Tau Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

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