Helene's winds are weakening but its impacts aren't

 

A large oak tree lies on a home in Anderson, South Carolina, on Friday. 

Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Mail/USA Today Network via REUTERS

Wind speeds are dropping in Tropical Storm Helene as it tracks through the southern Appalachians, according to the National Hurricane Center.

But it is still wreaking havoc in the Southeast, mid-Atlantic and Tennessee Valley with flooding rainfall. Rare flash flood emergencies are active in multiple states.

Helene now has sustained winds of 45 mph, down from 60 mph earlier this morning. Winds in the storm will continue to weaken and may become a tropical depression or a post-tropical cyclone later today.