Hurricane Debby made landfall early Monday morning on Florida’s Gulf Coast, hours after strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane, which has the potential for life-threatening storms and severe flooding across the South, the National Hurricane Center said.
Cedar Key residents board up the windows of their businesses on Sunday in preparation for Hurricane ... [+]
The National Hurricane Center said Debby made landfall on the Big Bend coast near Steinhatchee, Florida, and was moving north-northeast at 10 miles per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour.
A hurricane warning is now in effect from Yankeetown to Indian Pass, covering most of the Big Bend region of the Florida Gulf Coast.
Severe flood warnings are in effect for a swath of the southeastern coast, including areas at high risk by Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical storm warnings, and storm surge watches are also in effect, covering parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Some areas of the Gulf Coast may see storm surges between six to 10 feet, with the advisory warning “this is a life-threatening situation.”
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Debby’s center will move through the Gulf of Mexico overnight before making landfall in Florida on Monday morning. The storm is expected to “move slowly across northern Florida and southern Georgia Monday and Tuesday,” before reaching the Georgia coast on Tuesday night. The storm is expected to weaken on Monday and Tuesday as it moves inland.
Debby is also expected to bring severe rainfall over parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina this week. Portions of central and northern Florida could see between 6 to 12 inches of rain through Friday morning, likely resulting in some flash flooding. Parts of southeast Georgia and South Carolina, however, will witness a more severe downpour, between 10 to 20 inches, through Friday morning, which could cause “catastrophic flooding,” according to the NHC.
223,533. That’s how many homes and businesses in Florida were without power early on Monday, as Debby made landfall by the Gulf Coast, according to PowerOutage.us.
Tropical Storm Debby now expected to slam Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 1 hurricane (Miami Herald)
Debby becomes hurricane, expected to barrel into Florida’s northwest coast Monday; threat of storm surge looms large (Sun Sentinel)