Forgive the bumpy video, but I thought this angle was worth sharing. The blowdown extends a few hundred yards on the other side of the ridge as well. Long term, I'd like to fly this entire area and record the wind pattern for further research.

🧵 The wind damage northeast of Asheville is unfathomable... With all of the trails closed, I journeyed up to a quiet overlook that I knew would be open. I've seen footage of this area since the storm, but I wasn't prepared for how bad it truly is.

This used to be a quiet drive through a lush forest on Elk Mountain Scenic Highway. Now, it’s a somber drive through a hellish landscape, scarred for decades by Helene’s extreme winds.

Blue Ridge Parkway near Elk Mountain, NC Before ➡️ After

Explain something to me please, if you can briefly. I’m not a scientist, I’m an old woman so make it simple. How did a hurricane still have that much wind after moving over land already? That’s disturbing. 😞

This will for sure be one to study for years to come. Very devastating storm.

Looking at this location, radar velocities, and the wind profile for this system. Sure looks like the 2 ridge lines to the east produced mountain waves that mixed down and enhanced winds to these ridges.

Is that the BRP we see on the ridgeline or another road? That scene is just, incredible and heartbreaking 💔

That's Elk Mountain Scenic Highway. I wanted to fly the Blue Ridge Parkway, but ran out of time before I could find a legal place to do it.

Wow - That's like the firescald damage after the Gatlinburg fires. The Bullhead looked like this. Hell, it still partly looks like this.

That’s wild Evan. Thanks for sharing. I’m hating to see my land near Boone and Blowing Rock. I’ll wait until Spring so hopefully the bridges and roads are passable by then. It’s right on the Yadkin river waterfront so I fear the worst and hope for the best.

It looks like the slopes of Washington's Mt. St. Helens volcano after it erupted

shootout mountain in mitchell county lost like 80% of its tree cover

Since it was late in the season, these trees should have been prepping for dormancy?? Is there a chance they could be okay?