On August 3 local time, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Debby became the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, likely bringing heavy rain and coastal flooding to much of the Florida Gulf Coast (US) starting as early as this weekend.
Forecasters said the tropical depression will strengthen into a tropical storm in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and a hurricane warning has been issued for parts of Florida.
According to the NHC, as of 4:00 p.m. on August 3, local time, the center of Hurricane Debby was about 112 km northwest of Havana, Cuba and 160 km southwest of Key West, Florida. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 64 km/h and is moving northwest at a speed of 24 km/h.
The NHC forecasts that the storm is expected to continue to strengthen before reaching the Florida Gulf Coast late on or early on August 5 and is "likely to reach or near typhoon strength" when it makes landfall.
A hurricane warning has been issued for the Florida Gulf Coast from the Suwannee River to the Ochlockonee River.
Wind and thunderstorms have spread over a large area, including southern and central Florida, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas.
Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after October, Hurricane Beryl, and Hurricane Chris, all of which formed in June.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami forecasts Debby to intensify as it heads north off the southwest coast of Florida, where the ocean is extremely warm, reaching temperatures of 33.3 degrees Celsius this week.
Hurricane Debby is likely to bring heavy rain and flooding to rivers, flooding drainage systems and canals in the area.
Forecasters are warning of 130-250 mm of rainfall, which could cause significant flash flooding and urban flooding in the locality.
Forecasters warn of moderate flooding in some rivers along the west coast of Florida.
Some of the heaviest rains are actually possible next week in an area along the Atlantic coast from Jacksonville, Florida, northward across the coastal areas of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The storm is expected to slow down after making landfall.
Florida is prone to flooding even on sunny days when high tides in coastal areas and the storm is expected to push storm surges 6-12 cm high along most of the Florida Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, with 9-15 cm higher than expected to be further north in the sparsely populated Big Bend region of Florida.
Forecasters issued a storm warning on August 3, saying there was a "life-threatening risk of flooding due to high-altitude storm surges" in Hernando Beach, Crystal River, Steinhatchee and Cedar Key. Citrus District officials have ordered mandatory evacuations of coastal areas.
