STEINHATCHEE, Fla. – Hurricane Debby made landfall early Monday morning along Florida‘s Big Bend, blasting the state with flooding rain, damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge.
The Category 1 storm hit near Steinhatchee about 7 a.m. ET with winds estimated at 80 mph. After landfall, power outages skyrocketed to more than 300,000 utility customers in the Sunshine State, according to PowerOutage.us.
By midweek, the storm is expected to dump extreme amounts of nearly 2 feet of rain on parts of Georgia and South Carolina. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is forecasting “potentially historic rainfall” across southeastern Georgia and South Carolina through Friday, causing widespread flash flooding and life-threatening conditions.
The governors of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have declared a state of emergency and are urging residents to prepare for the multiple impacts the storm will bring.
“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 said on Sunday.
Where is Hurricane Debby now?
The center of Hurricane Debby is situated about 60 miles north-northwest of Cedar Key, Florida. It remains a Category 1 hurricane with winds estimated at 75 mph. Flooding rain, strong winds and storm surge were already lashing the Sunshine State before the storm made landfall Monday morning. 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. Now that Debby has made landfall, 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 northeastward after making landfall. 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 by Tuesday night.
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. 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 Yankeetown and the Aucilla River in Florida, where up to 10 feet of surge is forecast.
Flooding will also be a major concern with Hurricane Debby. A Flood Watch has been issued in parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
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.
A flood risk exists anywhere along Debby’s path, but the highest risk appears to be in north-central Florida and along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. A Level 4 out of 4 risk zone has been highlighted by NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center for three straight days from Monday through Wednesday.
Where is the tornado threat with Hurricane Debby?
A few tornadoes are possible over central and northern Florida and southeastern Georgia on Monday. The tornado threat will spread northeastward into parts of South Carolina later Monday and Monday night.