ASHEVILLE - Though information on school closures in Western North Carolina is still sparse, several schools and universities have now issued alerts in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene. Here's what we know so far from area educational institutions including WNC public school districts and colleges.

Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast, making landfall late Thursday as a powerful Category 4 storm, bringing with 140 mph winds, torrential rain and a record storm surge before moving inland across Georgia and the Carolinas.