Death Toll Rises As Tropical Storm Debby Makes Second U.S. Landfall

Tropical Storm Debby made its second U.S. landfall in South Carolina early Thursday (August 8), bringing with it life-threatening floods and a deadly tornado in North Carolina. The storm, which had already caused significant rainfall in parts of the South, made landfall near Bulls Bay, South Carolina, with winds of 50 mph , according to the National Hurricane Center.

Debby was a Category 1 hurricane when it first made landfall near Steinhatchee in Florida’s Big Bend region on Monday. The storm has been linked to six deaths, five in Florida and one in Georgia, mostly due to falling trees.

In North Carolina, a tornado spawned by Debby heavily damaged Springfield Middle School in Lucama, along with four homes and a church. Wilson County confirmed one fatality after the suspected tornado . The storm is expected to continue to weaken as it moves inland but is not forecast to leave North Carolina until Thursday night or Friday.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper warned of the potential for widespread and severe flash flooding, with parts of the state expected to receive up to 15 inches of rain. On Thursday, 22 million people were under flood alerts stretching nearly 1,000 miles from the coastal Carolinas to Canada.

The storm's effects are widespread, affecting weather from Florida to the Carolinas and into the mid-Atlantic states. The community of Parrish, Florida, recorded almost 19 inches of rain by early Tuesday, leading to hundreds of rescues in Sarasota County.

Debby is forecast to accelerate toward the north across eastern South Carolina and central North Carolina through Thursday night, then move faster toward the Northeast across the mid-Atlantic on Friday, and then Atlantic Canada on Saturday, according to the hurricane center. It’s likely to become a tropical depression Thursday afternoon or evening.