Tropical Storm Debby closing in on Florida; hurricane warnings issued

Tropical Storm Debby was strengthening early Sunday as the fourth-named system of the season churned closer to the Florida Gulf Coast where it was expected to make landfall as a hurricane late Sunday or early Monday.

Debby, fueled by warm waters of the Gulf, was moving northward and will turn to the north later Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. At 8 a.m. ET Sunday the storm was centered about 155 mile southwest of Tampa.

The storm will bring powerful storm surge and flooding rains when it strikes Florida's Big Bend Coast, the hurricane center said. Debby is then expected to move slowly across northern Florida and southern Georgia Monday and Tuesday.

"This is a life-threatening situation," the hurricane center warned.

Debby, which formed Saturday, had sustained winds of 60 mph at 8 a.m. ET Sunday, with stronger gusts.

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.

Also issued: a storm surge warning for the central Gulf Coast, covering the area from the Aucilla River to Indian Pass, with peak surges of 4 to 7 feet in some areas, according to the hurricane Center.

Debby is expected to cause considerable flash flooding across much of the southeastern U.S through Thursday, the weather service said. Rainfall totals of 6 to 12 inches are expected with maximum rainfall totals of up to 18 inches.

Storm surge, strong winds and heavy rains are possible throughout Florida and the southeast U.S. coast from Georgia to North Carolina through the middle of the week, forecasters said.

Debby formed in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico after moving westward as a tropical rainstorm during the week, dropping heavy rain over Hispaniola and parts of the Bahamas and causing flooding in Puerto Rico.

Tropical Storm Debby comes amid what experts predict to be an extremely active 2024 Atlantic hurricane season .

Tropical Storm Debby tracker

Spaghetti models: Where Tropical Storm Debby could make landfall

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.

When is the Atlantic hurricane season?

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.

The peak of the season is Sept. 10, with the most activity happening between mid-August and mid-October, according to the Hurricane Center.

Contributing: Gabe Hauari, Doyle Rice, Anthony Robledo and Jeanine Santucci of USA TODAY; Kim Luciani and Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network-Florida .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Debby closing in on Florida; hurricane warnings issued