Debby, which formed Saturday and became the fourth named storm of the season, strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center announced late Sunday. The storm is located about 100 miles west-northwest of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
The hurricane, fueled by warm waters of the Gulf, was moving northward at about 12 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. Hurricane force winds extended up to 45 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the center.
"This potentially historic rainfall may result in areas of catastrophic flooding," Richard Pasch, a senior hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center, wrote in a public advisory that warned of a "life-threatening situation."
Floridians were bracing for the state's first hurricane strike this year in a season that forecasters say could become one of the worst on record . Mandatory evacuations were being ordered ahead of Debby in parts of multiple counties. Leon County, home to Tallahassee, was opening up six shelters in schools around the county.
A lack of strong steering currents in the atmosphere means Debby will take a slow, soaking stroll after a Florida landfall through the Southeast, making it a multi-state threat. “After landfall, it’s going to slow to a crawl,” Michael Brennan, hurricane center director, said Sunday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard were activated to support humanitarian assistance and search and rescue missions. He warned that hazards such as strong winds, storm surge and tornadoes can occur before landfall, even outside the forecasted "cone." Sustained winds could reach up to 95 mph, he said
President Joe Biden declared an emergency across Florida, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts for the "purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population."
Developments:
∎ The National Weather Services issued a series of flash flood warnings . Warnings are in effect for Manatee and Western Sarasota counties until 11:30 p.m.; Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas have warnings until 11:15 p.m.
∎ NWS officials issued a tornado watch for much of Northern Florida and Southeast Georgia Sunday evening. The watch covers an area where nearly 12 million people live and is in effect until 6 a.m. Monday. The Storm Prediction Center shared reports of six tornadoes across Florida by around 11 p.m. Sunday.
∎ Nearly 2,000 flights had been canceled and close to 6,300 were delayed as of 5 p.m. ET, according to flight tracking site FlightAware . American Airlines and JetBlue saw the highest cancellation numbers among major carriers, both scrapping 17% of their schedules.
∎ Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Elation rescheduled its return to Jacksonville for Sunday, rather than Monday as planned. The ship departed from the Florida city for a Bahamas cruise on Thursday, according to CruiseMapper .
∎ South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon ahead of any potential impact by Debby. He warned that heavy rainfall early in the week could bring flash foods and that residents should begin storm preparations immediately.
The hurricane center forecasts landfall Monday morning in Florida’s Big Bend − where the state's panhandle meets its peninsula − somewhere between the Suwannee River south of Tallahassee and the Ochlockonee River in the Panhandle west of Tallahassee. Debby will make landfall with a maximum sustained winds of 74 to 95 miles per hour, according to AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin.
Forecasters issued a hurricane warning for the Florida Gulf Coast from Yankeetown to Indian Pass. They issued a tropical storm warning for the area south of Yankeetown to Boca Grande, west of Indian Pass to Mexico Beach; and Ponte Vedra Beach to South Santee River, South Carolina.
The area between the Suwanee and Ochlockonee Rivers could flood with up to 10 feet of water, the hurricane center reported . Accuweather forecasted even greater surges for the Big Bend region of up to 15 feet.
Officials across Southwest Florida began reporting roads closed due to flooding Sunday afternoon ahead of Debby’s expected landfall Monday.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno of Lee County deployed the agency's " swamp buggy ," a 5,000-pound vehicle that can move through waters up to four feet deep to pick up people stranded by the storm, according to public information officer Todd Olmer.
Sarasota County officials warned that several roads in the area were shut down due to flooding. The North Casey Key Road was closed, leaving residents unable to get on or off the key ; erosion caused by the storm undermined roads leading into Caspersen Beach near the city of Venice; and rocks used for shoreline stabilization were washed onto the Manasota Key Road by flooding that left the area underwater .
Sandra Tapfumaneyi, chief of the county’s Emergency Management Agency, urged residents to stay home, call 311 for help and, if on the road, " turn around, don’t drown ."
Areas from Sarasota north through Tampa and Tarpon Springs have already seen an impressive 4 to 8 inches of rainfall, the Weather Prediction Center reported . Forecasters expect the rate of rain falling could increase to 2 to 3 inches per hour and add up to 6 more inches of rain to the total, according to the WPC .
Winds around Tampa Bay became so severe that at 10 p.m. the Florida Highway Patrol announced they were closing the Skyway Bridge .
Debby is big and slow, making the storm particularly dangerous, especially along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. The size and increase in the wind speed as Debby gets organized and potentially becomes a hurricane creates a high risk of life-threatening storm surges along the Florida coast early Monday. The surge will be the highest where the storm crosses the coast.
The hurricane center is forecasting that Debby could rapidly intensify, which could put its winds as high as 90 mph at landfall. That could help push a wall of water 6-10 feet above ground level. The higher level would occur if the storm approaches at high tide.
Clouds ahead of the storm already were reaching across much of Florida on Sunday, and the storm’s center is forecast to move near Savannah on Tuesday night and drag along the South Carolina Coast on Thursday night.
"Multiple days of very, very heavy rainfall" are possible, Brennan said.
The National Weather Service estimates rainfall totals could reach up to 30 inches or more in isolated locations along the coast through Friday. The weather service office in Charleston, South Carolina, called it a "potentially historic rainfall."
The storm arrived less than three months after a tornado outbreak that brought widespread destruction to Tallahassee. Mayor John Dailey said mutual-aid workers were arriving later in the day from Louisiana and Alabama to help with power restoration and that other crews were ready to respond from across Florida.
“Downed trees are expected,” Dailey said. “Power outages are expected. Localized flooding is expected. Please prepare your household, knowing that there could be a time when first responders cannot reach you.”
A hurricane warning has been issued for the Big Bend region, according to the National Weather Service . That warning stretches west along the Gulf Coast toward the Ochlockonee River. A storm surge warning was issued from Longboat Key to Tampa Bay.
A few tornadoes are possible through Monday morning, mainly over western and northern Florida and southern Georgia, the hurricane center said.
The weather service's Storm Prediction Center shared reports of six tornadoes on Sunday. The reports came from Hardee, Polk, Pinellas, Union and Columbia counties. The reported tornado in Pinellas damaged a fence and a trailer around 10 p.m.
Swells generated by Debby are expected to affect much of the Gulf coast of Florida through Monday, reach the Southeast U.S. coast on Monday, and continue through the middle of the week.
"These conditions are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," Pasch warned.
Debby formed in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico after moving westward as a tropical rainstorm during the week. The storm dropped heavy rain over Hispaniola and parts of the Bahamas, and causing flooding in Puerto Rico.
Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
The peak of the season is Sept. 10, and the most activity usually happens between mid-August and mid-October, according to the hurricane center.
Contributing: Nathan Diller, Gabe Hauari, Doyle Rice, Anthony Robledo, and Jeanine Santucci of USA TODAY; Kim Luciani and Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network-Florida .
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