"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:
∎ More than 1,500 flights had been canceled and nearly 3,000 were delayed as of noon ET, according to flight tracking site FlightAware . American Airlines and JetBlue saw the highest cancellation numbers among major carriers, both scrapping 16% 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 .
Debby, which formed Saturday and became the fourth named storm of the season, was centered about 125 miles west-southwest of Tampa with sustained winds of 65 mph at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, with stronger gusts. The storm, fueled by warm waters of the Gulf, was moving northward and will turn to the north later Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the storm’s center.
The hurricane center forecasts landfall Monday 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.
Tropical Storm Debby moves north as it passes by Fort Myers Beach on Aug. 4, 2024. Andrew West/The News-Press/Part of the USA Today Network
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 speeds as Debby gets organized and potentially becomes a hurricane creates a high risk of life-threatening storm surge 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 arrives 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. The storm was moving north-northwest at 13 mph., and tropical storm and storm surge watches were extended northward into Georgia and South Carolina to the South Santee River.
A few tornadoes are possible through Monday morning, mainly over western and northern Florida and southern Georgia, the hurricane center said.
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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