The storm is forecast to hit Florida as a hurricane on Monday morning before moving through Georgia and the Carolinas.
Several governors have issued emergency declarations ahead of Tropical Storm Debby, which is forecast to make landfall in the Big Bend region of northwest Florida as a hurricane on Monday morning.
The storm is likely to become a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall Monday in the Big Bend region of Florida, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. The storm is forecast to strengthen as it moves in a curved manner near the southwestern Florida coast.
A hurricane warning was issued for parts of the Big Bend area and the Florida Panhandle, while tropical storm warnings were posted for Florida’s West Coast, the southern Florida Keys, and Dry Tortugas. A tropical storm watch extended further west into the Panhandle. A warning means storm conditions are expected within 36 hours, while a watch means they are possible within 48 hours.
When it reaches Florida, Debby is then expected to move eastward over northern Florida and then stall over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina, drenching the region with potentially record-setting rains totaling up to 30 inches beginning Tuesday, officials say.
The flooding impact, which could last through Friday, is expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.
“I’d urge all Floridians to be cognizant of the fact that we are going to have a hurricane hit the state, probably a Category 1, but it could be a little bit more powerful than that,” DeSantis said in a Sunday morning briefing.
“But we are absolutely going to see a lot of rainfall. We are going to see a lot of saturation. We are going to see flooding events,” he said. “There is also going to be power outages.”
Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl, and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June.
Hurricane Idalia, a Category 3 storm, struck the same region in Florida between the Panhandle and the rest of the state in August 2023. Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 system, ravaged the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region in 2018, reaching peak winds of 160 mph.