Tropical Storm Debby's flooding, tornadoes move from Carolinas into mid-Atlantic

Debby, now a tropical rainstorm, is causing dangerous flooding as it makes its way up the mid-Atlantic after making its second U.S. landfall as a tropical storm early on Thursday in South Carolina

Debby, now a tropical rainstorm, is causing dangerous flooding and tornadoes as it makes its way up the mid-Atlantic after making its second U.S. landfall as a tropical storm early on Thursday near Bulls Bay, South Carolina,

On Thursday, eight tornado reports were associated with Debby, from Siler City, North Carolina, through Virginia, to near Wilmington, Delaware. The tornado in Delaware, near Stanton and Marshallton, was rated EF1 by the National Weather Service and traveled for about a mile with 95 mph winds.

Heavy rain continued to stream north on Friday, after Debby dropped more than 20 inches of rain in Florida and 15 inches in North and South Carolina. Amounts of over 10 inches were reported Friday morning near Wintergreen Resort in Virginia and Hedgesville, West Virginia.

Several tornadoes were reported Wednesday and Wednesday night in eastern North Carolina. A twister early Thursday morning in Wilson County killed a 60-year-old man, WRAL reported, bringing the death toll related to Debby to seven.

NWS investigators found EF2 tornado damage had occurred early Thursday morning in Snow Hill in rural Greene County. Tornadoes also damaged homes in Harrells, a town in Sampson County, and a tornado was recorded on video near Maple Hill in Pender County.

Six people in Florida died earlier this week in accidents related to Debby. Three of them were in traffic accidents and two from fallen trees. Another death involved a 48-year-old man in Gulfport, Florida, who was on his anchored sailboat when the storm struck, WTSP-TV reported.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Canoochee River near Claxton, Georgia, a town that received over a foot of rain this week, broke its 100-year record height of 17.80 feet.

Residents remember recent major floods

Those living in the eastern Carolinas - an area vulnerable to flooding from tropical storms and hurricanes - have been through this before. Debby's flooding is reminding residents of the area's vulnerability to flooding from tropical storms; between 2015 and 2018, three major floods gripped the eastern parts of North and South Carolina.

Hurricane Florence 2018

Florence brought torrential rain to North and South Carolina, particularly affecting the Pee Dee River basin in northeastern South Carolina. The storm caused rivers to swell and overflow, leading to extensive flooding that damaged homes, roads and infrastructure. Both North Carolina's and South Carolina's records for highest rainfall totals from a single tropical storm were established during Florence: 23.63 inches at Loris, South Carolina, and 35.93 inches at Elizabethtown, North Carolina.

Hurricane Matthew 2016

Two years before Florence, Hurricane Matthew dropped 1-2 feet of rain from the Georgia coast to southeastern Virginia. Heavy rainfall led to significant river flooding, which impacted communities and caused extensive damage.

Hurricane Joaquin 2015

Often referred to as a 1,000-year flood, this event was caused by a combination of a stalled low-pressure system and moisture from Hurricane Joaquin. The unprecedented rainfall led to catastrophic flooding across much of the state, particularly in the Midlands and Lowcountry regions. Many areas received more than 20 inches of rain, resulting in dam failures, road closures and widespread property damage.

Prior floods of note

Although South Carolina was spared the worst of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, the storm still brought heavy rain and caused localized flooding, particularly along the coast, where more than a foot of rain fell.

Hurricane Floyd in 1999 brought record rainfall, causing rivers to overflow in the Carolinas, resulting in catastrophic flooding. The flooding was compounded by Hurricane Dennis's saturation of the ground just weeks earlier.

In 1996, Hurricane Fran's heavy rain caused rivers and streams to overflow their banks, resulting in widespread damage to homes, roads and infrastructure.