Debby tracker: See tropical storm's path as it's projected to push northeast

Tropical Storm Debby is expected to produce 4 to 8 inches of rain across the parts of the northeast and Mid-Atlantic through Thursday as 19 million people are currently under a flood watch.

Scattered severe weather is forecast throughout northeastern South Carolina, southeastern to central North Carolina, western Virginia, eastern West Virginia, as well as far western Maryland, according to the National Weather Service.

Debby is expected to combine with another weather system over the Mid-Atlantic on Friday, gaining speed as it pushes to the northeast, forecasters said. The storm could dump as much as 25 inches of rain in South Carolina and 15 inches in southeastern North Carolina through Friday.

"People should be prepared to seek higher ground and to know of an evacuation route and have a plan in place," AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said .

Tropical Storm Debby tracker

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Debby blamed for at least six deaths

Debby moved along the central coast of South Carolina on Wednesday, drenching parts of Florida and Georgia in over a foot of rain and causing severe flooding through the Mid-Atlantic region.

Officials ordered evacuations due to widespread flash flooding as the system overtopped drainage systems and several Georgia dams. The storm has killed at least six people, including a boater in Gulfport, Florida, police confirmed Tuesday, according to the Tampa Bay Times .

Initially formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, the system made landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane by Monday morning. Steinhatchee, a small town in Taylor County, faced maximum sustained winds of 80 mph , causing at least four deaths.

Debby made its way through northern Florida for hours until wind speeds slowed to 65 mph and officials downgraded it to a tropical storm status on Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. By Tuesday, it pushed off the coast of Georgia and moved along the central coast of South Carolina on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, Doyle Rice, Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Jorge L. Ortiz

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Debby tracker: See tropical storm's path as it's projected to push northeast