Tropical Storm Debby to strengthen to Category 1 hurricane before Florida landfall

Tropical Storm Debby is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane before it makes landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region early Monday, the National Weather Service predicted.

Debby currently has sustained winds of about 50 mph and is moving slowly toward the Florida coast from the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Meteorologists predicted that the storm will track slowly over northern Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina on Monday and Tuesday, bringing substantial rain and severe weather risks.

“While Debby moves across the very warm waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico and remains in a relatively low wind shear environment, the storm will have an opportunity to strengthen rapidly before reaching the coast,” the National Hurricane Center forecast reads.

The storm is likely to become a hurricane overnight before making landfall early Monday morning, forecasters said, with winds as strong as 85 mph.

Meteorologists warned of extreme flooding risks due to Debby’s expected slow speed over land, including “potentially historic” rainfall across southeast Georgia and South Carolina through Friday.

Debby is predicted to move out into the Atlantic Ocean off of South Carolina by late Tuesday, but could hit land again by Friday farther north on the coast, though the forecast is still low confidence this far out, forecasters said.

The storm will become the second hurricane of the season after Hurricane Beryl became the earliest Category 5 hurricane in history in late June and early July.