Debby Makes Landfall as a Category 1 Hurricane

Debby made landfall just before 7 am as a Category 1 hurricane, less than 10 miles from the spot where Idalia came ashore last year. It's now moving very slowly across North Florida and into South Georgia, but it will continue to bring bands of heavy rain to the Tampa Bay area. So far, street flooding has been the major problem, but with the on-shore winds, we are looking at the possibility of a 3-5 foot storm surge along the coast, and even higher to our north.

Gov. DeSantis briefed the state on the storm this morning, and urged Floridians to stay safe. "Now that Debby is making landfall," the governor said, "the best thing to do is protect yourself and protect your family. Don't drive on the roads, particularly when they're flooded."

The governor outlined the resources the state will be putting into place, including the Florida State Guard, and 3-thousand National Guard troops that will be on standby.

Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said this will be an event "here for the next 5 to 7 days, maybe as long as 10 days." Guthrie said we're going to make sure we're here to respond.

Duke Energy and TECO are both reporting tens of thousands of power outages, and hundreds of flights have either been delayed or cancelled at TPA and PIE.

National Weather Service meteorologist Steven Shiveley said conditions will start to improve over the Tampa Bay area later this afternoon, but we will continue to see gusty winds for the next several days.