Hurricane Debby to bring heavy rains and catastropic flooding to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina

The center of Hurricane Debby is expected to reach the Big Bend coast of Florida early Monday bringing potential record-setting rains, catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge as it moves slowly across the northern part of the state before stalling over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina.

Debby was located about 45 miles west north west of Cedar Key, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

The storm was moving northnortheast at 10 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Monday. 10 This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image taken at 11:11 pm ET shows Hurricane Debby approaching Florida on Aug. 4, 2024. AP

Debby is thefourth named stormof the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June.

The storm was expected to make landfall around midday Monday in the Big Bend area of Florida, north of Tampa, the hurricane center said.

A tornado watch also was in effect for parts of Florida and Georgia until 6 a.m. Monday.

Right now, we are to trying secure everything from floating away,” said Sheryl Horne, whose family owns the Shell Island Fish Camp along the Wakulla River in St. Marks, Florida, where some customers moved their boats inland.

The sparsely populated Big Bend region in the Florida Panhandle also was hit last year by Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane.

I am used to storms and Im used to cleaning up after storms, Horne said. 10 A driver negotiates a flooded street as Tropical Storm Debby passes just to the west of Tampa Bay, Fla., on Aug. 4, 2024. AP

Debby was expected to move eastward over northern Florida and then stall over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina, thrashing the region with potential record-setting rains totaling up to 30 inches beginning Tuesday.

Officials also warned of a life-threatening storm surge along Floridas Gulf Coast, with 6 to 10 feet of inundation expected Monday between the Ochlockonee and Suwannee rivers.

Theres some really amazing rainfall totals being forecast and amazing in a bad way, Michael Brennan, director of the hurricane center, said at a briefing. 10 A man takes photos of the surf pushed by winds from Tropical Storm Debby as they break over the sea wall in Cedar Key, Fla., on Aug. 4, 2024. AP

That would be record-breaking rainfall associated with a tropical cyclone for both the states of Georgia and South Carolina if we got up to the 30-inch level.

Flooding impacts could last through Friday and are expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. North Carolina officials were monitoring the storm’s progress.

Officials in Savannah said the area could see a months worth of rain in four days if the system stalls over the region. 10 Mabrey Shaffmaster, left, carries her nephew, Arlo Hoggard, 3, left, as her sister, Morgan Hoggard, carries nine-month-old son Ace Hoggard through a flooded street as Tropical Storm Debby approaches Florida on Sunday, Aug 4, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla. AP

This is going to a significant storm, Savannah Mayor Van. R. Johnson said during a press conference.

Debby’s outer bands grazed the west coast of Florida, flooding streets and bringing power outages. Sarasota County officials said most roadways on Siesta Key, a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, were underwater.

The hurricane center had predicted the system would strengthen as it curved off the southwest Florida coast, where the water has been extremely warm. 10 Visitors to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks navigate a flooded street on Sunday, Aug 4, 2024 in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as Tropical Storm Debby stirs moisture offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. AP

At a briefing Sunday afternoon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned the storm could lead to really, really significant flooding that will happen in North Central Florida.

The storm would follow a similar track to Hurricane Idalia but would be much wetter. We are going to see much more inundation,” he said.

A hurricane warning was issued for parts of the Big Bend and Florida Panhandle areas, while tropical storm warnings were posted for Floridas West Coast, the southern Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. 10 Landon Stanley pulls his friends Jakob Jackson and Emerson Porcelli-Wilson in the waters flooding the streets from Tropical Storm Debby on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024 in Tampa, Fla. AP

A tropical storm watch extended farther west into the Panhandle.

Tropical storms and hurricanescan trigger river flooding and overwhelm drainage systems and canals. Forecasters warned of 6 to 12 inches of rain and up to 18 inches in isolated areas of Florida. Storm surge expected to hit Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay

Flat Florida is prone to flooding even on sunny days and the storm was predicted to bring a surge of 2 to 4 feet along most of the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, with a storm tide of up to 7 feet further north in the Big Bend region. 10 A man struggles to secure construction equipment against the surf pushed by winds from Tropical Storm Debby, in Cedar Key, Fla., on Aug. 4, 2024. AP 10 A pedestrian wades across a flooded street as a result of Tropical Storm Debby in the Shore Acres area of St. Petersburg, Fla., on Aug. 4, 2024. AP

Forecasters warned of a danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation in a region that includes Hernando Beach, Crystal River, Steinhatchee and Cedar Key.

Officials in Citrus and Levy counties ordered a mandatory evacuation of coastal areas, while those in Hernando, Manatee, Pasco and Taylor counties called for voluntary evacuations. Shelters opened in those and some other counties.

Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast estimated 21,000 people live in his countys evacuation zone. Residents, businesses prepare for flooding

Residents in Steinhatchee, Florida, which flooded during Hurricane Idalia, spent Sunday moving items to higher ground.

Ive been here 29 years. This isnt the first time Ive done it. Do you get used to it? No, Mark Reblin said as he moved items out of the liquor store he owns.

Employees of Savannah Canoe and Kayak in Georgia said they were busy tying down their watercrafts, laying sandbags and raising equipment off the ground. 10 Floodwaters cover parts of the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, Fla., as a result of Tropical Storm Debby on Aug. 4, 2024. AP

Mayme Bouy, the store manager, said she wasnt too concerned about the forecast calling for a potential historic rain event.

But we do have some high tides this week so if the rain is happening around then, that could be bad, Bouy added. Id rather play it safe than sorry. Governors declare emergencies ahead of landfall

DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of Floridas 67 counties, with the National Guard activating 3,000 guard members. 10 St. Petersburg Stormwater Management workers Mariano Morales, left, and Brad Sharp, work to clear debris from a flooded street in Shore Acres during Tropical Storm Debby on Aug. 4, 2024. AP

Utility crews from in and out of state were ready to restore power after the storm, he said in a post on X.

In Tampa alone, officials gave out more than 30,000 sandbags to barricade against flooding.

Weve got our stormwater drains cleared out. Weve got our generators all checked and full. Were doing everything that we need to be prepared to face a tropical storm, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster made their own emergency declarations. Northeast coast also preparing for storm conditions

Emergency managers in New England and New York were monitoring the path of the storm for he possibility of remnants striking their states.

Northeast states including New York and Vermont have been hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms in recent weeks and were still coping with flooding and saturated ground.