Debby's second landfall preceded by flooding, deadly tornado in North Carolina

Tropical Storm Debby made a second landfall in South Carolina early Thursday morning after spawning tornadoes in North Carolina.

Debby made its second U.S. landfall as a tropical storm early on Thursday near Bulls Bay, South Carolina, about 20 miles northeast of Charleston. Maximum sustained wind speeds were 50 mph as it moved inland at 5 mph, exacerbating ongoing flooding across the Carolinas that has promoted curfews, road closures and widespread disruptions.

AccuWeather's Tony Laubach was in Georgetown, South Carolina, at the time of Debby's second landfall. Storm chaser Aaron Rigsby reported live from Elizabethtown, North Carolina, late in the evening of Aug. 7, as the northern side of Debby caused flash flooding.

Three tornadoes were reported Wednesday and Wednesday night in the state. One twister overnight in Wilson County was the site of a fatality, WRAL reported. Tornadoes damaged homes Wednesday in Harrells, a town in Sampson County, and a tornado was recorded on video near Maple Hill in Pender County.

After dropping more than 20 inches of rain in Florida and 15 inches in South Carolina, rainfall reports in southeastern North Carolina rose to more than 11 inches Wednesday night.

The storm knocked out power to at least 133,000 customers in North Carolina on Thursday morning, according to PowerOutage.US, though the number of outages was down to just over 80,000 by afternoon.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Canoochee River near Claxton, Georgia, a town that received over a foot of rain this week, broke its 100-year record height of 17.80 feet.

Debby was rated a 3 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes in the United States due to dangerous storm surge, life-threatening flooding rain and strong winds. The storm has already been responsible for at least seven fatalities, all of which were reported in Florida near where Debby roared ashore Monday except for a 60-year-old man who, according to WRAL, died when a tornado passed over his North Carolina home Wednesday as Debby closed in for its second landfall.

Debby will continue to bring impacts of strong winds, life-threatening flooding, isolated tornadoes, dangerous surf and storm surge as it meanders over the Carolinas into Thursday night.

“Our emergency crews and city staff are working around the clock to keep our residents safe," Charleston Mayor William Cogswell said in a press release on Tuesday. "Safety of our residents and staff is our top priority.”

President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for South Carolina as the state deals with the impacts of Debby. The declaration allows FEMA to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide resources and equipment to the state as well as assistance and reimbursement for mass care, evacuation and shelter support.

After making two United States landfalls, which AccuWeather hurricane experts correctly predicted, Debby will sweep northward across the eastern U.S. AccuWeather meteorologists are becoming increasingly concerned that life-threatening, flooding rainfall and isolated tornadoes will heighten the risk to lives and property across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast into the weekend.

Residents remember recent major floods

Those living in the eastern Carolinas - an area vulnerable to flooding from tropical storms and hurricanes - have been through this before. Debby's threat of flooding is reminding residents of the area's vulnerability to flooding from tropical storms; between 2015 and 2018, three major floods gripped the eastern parts of North and South Carolina.

Hurricane Florence 2018

Florence brought torrential rain to North and South Carolina, particularly affecting the Pee Dee River basin in northeastern South Carolina. The storm caused rivers to swell and overflow, leading to extensive flooding that damaged homes, roads and infrastructure. Both North Carolina's and South Carolina's records for highest rainfall totals from a single tropical storm were established during Florence: 23.63 inches at Loris, South Carolina, and 35.93 inches at Elizabethtown, North Carolina.

Hurricane Matthew 2016

Two years before Florence, Hurricane Matthew dropped 1-2 feet of rain from the Georgia coast to southeastern Virginia. Heavy rainfall led to significant river flooding, which impacted communities and caused extensive damage.

Hurricane Joaquin 2015

Often referred to as a 1,000-year flood, this event was caused by a combination of a stalled low-pressure system and moisture from Hurricane Joaquin. The unprecedented rainfall led to catastrophic flooding across much of the state, particularly in the Midlands and Lowcountry regions. Many areas received more than 20 inches of rain, resulting in dam failures, road closures and widespread property damage.

Prior floods of note

Although South Carolina was spared the worst of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, the storm still brought heavy rain and caused localized flooding, particularly along the coast, where more than a foot of rain fell.

Hurricane Floyd in 1999 brought record rainfall, causing rivers to overflow in the Carolinas, resulting in catastrophic flooding. The flooding was compounded by Hurricane Dennis's saturation of the ground just weeks earlier.

In 1996, Hurricane Fran's heavy rain caused rivers and streams to overflow their banks, resulting in widespread damage to homes, roads and infrastructure.