Debby leaves 6 dead after dropping tornadoes, 20 inches of rain

Debby made landfall in Florida's Big Bend Monday morning, dropping 20 inches of rain in Florida and spawning several tornadoes in South Carolina.

After making landfall early Monday in Florida, Debby, now a tropical storm, is moving slowly up the coast bringing life-threatening flooding to Georgia and the Carolinas. Six people in Florida have died in accidents related to Debby.

Three of them were in traffic accidents and two from fallen trees. The sixth death involved a 48-year-old man in Gulfport, Florida, who was on his anchored sailboat when the storm struck, WTSP-TV reported.”

Heavy rainfall from Debby stretched from western Florida up the coast to eastern North Carolina, ranging from 21.06 inches at Tatum Ridge, Florida, to 17.27 inches in Summerville, South Carolina. Bellville, Georgia, also received 13.56 inches from the storm.

Widespread flooding was reported in western and northern Florida, Charleston; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where drone video showed streets and homes underwater Tuesday evening.

Several tornadoes were spun up from the storm in South Carolina, including an EF1 in Edisto Beach late Monday evening and another tornado in Moncks Corner Tuesday afternoon that heavily damaged an Arbys.

Up to 6 feet of storm surge flooding occurred at Cedar Key, Florida, near landfall Monday morning. On Sunday, a significant overwash occurred in St. Petersburg, Florida, as a 4-foot storm surge hit Tampa Bay.

Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane just before 7:00 a.m. EDT Monday morning near Steinhatchee along Florida's Big Bend. Maximum sustained winds were 80 mph, but a gust of 99 mph was measured near where it roared ashore.

The landfall was within 20 miles of Hurricane Idalia’s landfall, a Category 3 storm that roared ashore in the Big Bend of Florida in August 2023.

Odd news from Debby included a million dollars worth of cocaine washing up in Florida, an alligator loose on a South Carolina street, and a catfish in a driveway.