H elene was the deadliest hurricane in the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, killing 248 people in multiple states. North Carolina, especially the state’s mountain counties, were extremely hard hit.

The World Meteorological Organization Hurricane Committee has retired the names Beryl, Helene, Milton, and John from its hurricane name lists due to the significant death and destruction these storms caused in 2024.

These hurricanes of 2024 were either so destructive and/or deadly that an international committee retired their names from use in future hurricanes. That's happened many times in the past 70-plus years.