Debby, who is rapidly gaining strength in an unusually warm Gulf of Mexicohit the Big Bend region of Florida at hurricane force sometime overnight on Sunday, August 4.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warns that Debby will slowly weakenbut would continue to cause significant rainfall accumulations in Florida, southeastern Georgia, and South Carolina over the next five days.
NHC spokesman Mike Brennan said the entire west coast of Florida is under tropical storm warning and urged people, particularly on the northwest coast and the Florida peninsula, to “find a safe place to take shelter before nightfall.”
Read more: Insivumeh monitors tropical depression four and explains its trajectory
At 8:00 a.m., the storm was about 255 kilometers southwest of the city of Tampawith maximum sustained winds of 96 kilometers per hour and moving northwest at 21 kilometers per hour, the warning said.
On Saturday night, August 3, authorities ordered mandatory evacuations for part of Citrus County, Florida, while in eight other counties the evacuation was voluntary, local media reported.
“The situation must be taken seriously“Hernando County Fire Chief and Public Safety Director Paul Hasenmeier told reporters last night.
11am EDT Aug 4th Key Messages for Tropical Storm #Debby: Intensification continues & forecast to become a hurricane before landfall in Florida Big Bend region.
After potentially historic rainfall & catastrophic flooding forecast for portions of the SE. pic.twitter.com/05OAff9Z7o
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 4, 2024
Also read: Areas exposed to mass landslides due to rain identified
Brennan predicted “multiple days of very, very heavy rainfall,” possibly at record levels, and warned of the Possibility of severe flash flooding “in areas that do not normally flood.”
Meteorologists warned about possible Storm surges up to three meters high that could be “life-threatening,” and said Debby could spawn tornadoes in Florida and Georgia between Sunday night, August 4, and the early hours of Monday, August 5.
US President Joe Biden approved a declaration of emergency for Florida, which will allow for expedited federal aid.
You might be interested in: Canícula 2024: Until when will it last and in which regions will it have the greatest impact?
State Governor Ron DeSantis activated the Local National Guard to assist in the storm response.
#Storm #Debby #strengthens #Southeast #braces #historic #rainfall
