Topline
Hurricane Debby made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Monday morning, leading to heavy rainfall and flooding—and the National Hurricane Center is warning the storm will likely continue up the coast in the coming days and could bring “potentially historic heavy rainfall.”
A person looks on at a flooded street caused by the rain and storm surge from Hurricane Debby on … [+]
Key Facts
Tropical Storm Debby, which weakened from a hurricane after making landfall, was moving over northern Florida early Monday afternoon with 65 mph maximum sustained winds, but the National Hurricane Center said the center of the storm will move across southeastern Georgia tonight and tomorrow and may move offshore of the South Carolina coast by late tomorrow and Wednesday.
States of emergency have been declared in South Carolina, most of Florida and Georgia, and the North Carolina State Emergency Operations Center is in an enhanced watch status.
Rainfall totals as high as 30 inches are expected across portions of southeast Georgia, the coastal plain of South Carolina and southeast North Carolina through Saturday morning, as the storm makes its way through the area very slowly.
If the forecast pans out, it “will likely result in areas of catastrophic flooding” across Georgia and South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Areas of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic will also face enhanced flood risks, though not as high as in the Deep South, this week as Debby interacts with a cold front passing through the region—forecasters in the Philadelphia area have issued a flood watch for southeast Pennsylvania, much of central and southern New Jersey and northern Delaware.
A curfew will go into effect at 10 p.m. tonight through 6 a.m. tomorrow in Savannah, Georgia, ahead of the storm, officials announced.
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Big Number
Lakewood Ranch, Florida, which is south of Tampa, had seen the most rainfall—16.56 inches—as of 10 a.m. EDT, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
Crucial Quote
Officials are pleading with residents in at-risks areas to not take risks with the storm. “Our experts with the National Hurricane Center believe flooding to be catastrophic for many parts of South Carolina,” Kim Stenson, director of South Carolina’s Emergency Management Division, said. “Take no chances with this storm.”
Surprising Fact
Debby may briefly restrengthen as it slowly meanders off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina during the middle of the week, but forecasters do not expect the storm will regain hurricane status.
Key Background
At least four people have died in Florida as a result of the storm, NBC News reported, including two people who died in a single vehicle crash in Dixie County, Florida, on Sunday night. Debby was briefly a Category 1 hurricane but weakened Monday morning after making landfall. It is the fourth named storm of this Atlantic hurricane season, and experts expect there will be many more. Earlier this year, meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a forecast for more activity this hurricane season than they have predicted in history. . The hurricane season officially began on June 1 and lasts through the end of November—though it is possible for hurricanes to occur outside of that window.
Tangent
Hurricane Debby blew $1 million worth of cocaine—25 packages weighing about 70 pounds—onto a beach in the Florida Keys, the Border Patrol’s Samuel Briggs II said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Briggs said the drugs were turned in by a good Samaritan who discovered them.
What To Watch For
Whether there are any tornadoes in the area. The National Hurricane Center said there are a few tornadoes possible over central and northern Florida and southeastern Georgia on Monday, and the threat will extend into parts of South Carolina later in the day.
Further Reading
Israel and Hamas. Previously, she has covered a range of topics from Donald Trump’s legal battles to Taylor Swift’s path to becoming a billionaire. She joined Forbes in April 2022 and is based in Colorado. Prior to joining Forbes, Bohannon covered local news and spent time at the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Arizona Republic. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Creighton University and has an MA in investigative journalism from Arizona State. Follow Bohannon for continued coverage of pop culture, politics and updates on the war in Gaza.
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