Hurricane Debby nearing landfall in Florida
Debby is quickly approaching Florida and will make landfall early Monday morning sometime likely along the Nature Coast. Debby is likely to be rapidly intensifying all the way up until landfall and will be packing 90-plus mph winds.
Hurricane Debby has developed in the Gulf of Mexico as the storm takes aim at Florida, where landfall is expected Monday.
Debby is already blasting flooding rain, damaging winds and storm surge to Florida ahead of its expected landfall in the Big Bend region. By mid-week, the storm is expected to dump extreme amounts of nearly 2 feet of rain on parts of Georgia and South Carolina.
The NHC is forecasting “potentially historic rainfall” across southeast Georgia and South Carolina through Friday, causing widespread flash flooding and life-threatening conditions.
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![Flooding in Fort Myers, Florida. Aug. 4, 2024.]()
Image 1 of 8Flooding in Fort Myers, Florida. Aug. 4, 2024.
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Image 4 of 8Flooding in Fort Myers, Florida. Aug. 4, 2024.
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Image 6 of 8Flooding in the Sunset Beach neighborhood of Treasure Island, Florida. Aug. 4, 2024.
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Image 8 of 8Downed street light from the 1700 block of Great Brikhill Road, according to the Clearwater Police Department. Aug. 4, 2024.
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The governors of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have declared a state of emergency ahead of Debby and are urging residents to prepare for the multiple impacts the storm will bring.
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“I think what’s going to make this much different than what we had with Idalia is it is going to move very slowly once it enters Florida – it’s going to be southern Georgia, northern Florida – and it is just going to drop an inordinate amount of water on the north central Florida region,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told FOX Weather on Sunday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talks about preps for Debby
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says state officials have been preparing for impacts from Debby for several days and a state of emergency has already been issued.
Where is Hurricane Debby now?
The center of Hurricane Debby is situated in the eastern Gulf of Mexico just west of the Florida Peninsula.
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(FOX Weather)
What impacts will Debby have?
Powerful wind and rain batter southwest Florida
Footage shot in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, shows sheets of rain pummeling palm trees and a parking lot as Tropical Storm Debby moves toward the Sunshine State. (Courtesy: @WxJack27 via Storyful)
Flooding rain, strong wind and storm surge are already being seen across the Sunshine State ahead of Debby’s landfall. Several feet of storm surge and hurricane force-winds are forecast to pummel Florida as the storm moves inland.
Views from the Fort Myers area showed feet of flooding Sunday afternoon as rainbands from Debby lashed the state.
In St. Petersburg, waves lashed the coast as tropical storm-force winds howled.
Once Debby makes landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, the storm is expected to move northeastward through Florida and bring historic rain and life-threatening storm surge to Georgia and the Carolinas.
Where is Hurricane Debby headed?
Hurricane Debby will move north and northeast, making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Monday morning. From there, the forecast becomes less certain. A general trend to the northeast is expected before Debby slows to a snail’s pace in the vicinity of Georgia and South Carolina.
(FOX Weather)
Where have alerts been issued for Hurricane Debby?
Various tropical weather alerts have been issued in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. A Hurricane Warning is concentrated in the Big Bend region, where winds of at least 74 mph are anticipated.
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(FOX Weather)
Storm surge alerts are also up for much of the Florida Gulf Coast, as well as the coastlines of Georgia and South Carolina. The worst of the surge is expected between the Aucilla River and the Suwannee River in Florida, where up to 10 feet of surge is forecast.
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(FOX Weather)
Flooding will also be a major concern with Hurricane Debby. A Flood Watch has been issued in parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
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(FOX Weather)
Where will the most rain fall during Hurricane Debby?
Hurricane Debby is expected to dump tremendous amounts of rain as it moves across the southeastern U.S. with more than a foot of rain possible in north central Florida and upwards of 2 feet of rain possible between Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
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(FOX Weather)
A flood risk exists anywhere along Debby’s path, but the highest risk appears to be along the coastline of South Carolina where a Level 4 out of 4 risk zone has been highlighted by NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center.
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(FOX Weather)