The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a forecast on Monday saying Hurricane Debbie is expected to move north up Florida's west coast and bring “life-threatening” conditions to the Southeast through the week.
As of 5 a.m. Monday, Debby was moving north-northeast across West Florida, with sustained winds reaching 80 mph. according to The NHC said “potentially record-breaking rainfall” was expected through at least Saturday morning across the Southeast, including Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, and that storm surges of 6 to 10 feet could cause flooding along the Gulf of Mexico. share On Twitter.
5:00 AM EDT: Hurricane #Debbie Landfall is imminent in Big Bend, Florida. Life-threatening storm surges are expected in parts of Florida, and major flooding is predicted for the southeastern U.S. Key messages include: https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/iPUOesfYM6
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 5, 2024
Radar images of Debbie moving across the Atlantic Ocean share Meteorologist Craig Setzer captured the storm on film as it transformed into a Category 1 hurricane as it made landfall. “While track forecasts continue to improve, intensity forecasts remain a challenge,” Setzer said. “There are many factors that contributed to Debby's lack of intensity, including shear, dry air, and especially its large initial size.” (Related: Frequent glitches in weather radar system could become major problems)
Setzer is more concerned about Debby's “post-hurricane presence,” which could bring significant rainfall across the Southeast.
Debby made landfall this morning as a Category 1 hurricane. Although it was very close, it did not initially appear to meet the definition of rapid intensification (RI) of 30 knots (35 mph) in 24 hours. The track forecast continues to improve, but the intensity forecast remains… pic.twitter.com/qEI8DwH9Vj
— Craig Setzer, CCM (@CraigSetzer) August 5, 2024
Thousands of flights were canceled and cruise ships were rerouted following Debbie's move, Good Morning America reportAn additional 9,500 flights were delayed.
National Weather Service (NWS) Asked Residents in risk areas are being urged to “prepare now” for potentially catastrophic flooding, with Georgia and South Carolina under caution until Friday morning and North Carolina appearing to be at risk until at least Saturday.
Impact The winds from Debby could be felt as far north as West Virginia by Saturday, when Debby is expected to weaken to a tropical storm. The East Coast is in for some nasty weather this weekend.
