Hurricane Debby – live: Florida hunkers down as strengthened Category 1 storm very near landfall in Big Bend

Tropical Storm Debby has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it rapidly approaches Florida , where it is expected to make landfall in the Big Bend region early on Monday.

Hurricane-force winds are “very near landfall” with the storm’s center expected to reach the Big Bend later this morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 80mph (130kph), is was about 40 miles west-northwest of Cedar Key and moving north at 12 mph (19 kph) at approximately 4.00am EDT.

The storm will bring “life-threatening” storm surge of up to 10 feet along Florida’s Gulf Coast . The southeast US could also historic levels of rainfall this week, the National Weather Service said.

Some areas of Georgia and South Carolina could see up to 30 inches of rain through Friday, while Florida could see up to 18 inches throughout the week, according to the NWS.

Debby will travel across Florida before blowing through southern Georgia on Tuesday. The storm is forecasted to hit South Carolina Wednesday through Friday before calming.

Governor Ron DeSantis has placed more than 60 of Florida’s counties under a state of emergency as the storm approaches. “Just because you are not in the eye of the storm doesn’t mean you’re not going to have major, major effects,” he said.