The National Hurricane Center upgraded Tropical Depression 4 into Tropical Storm Debby on Saturday. The cyclone could strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane before landfall on Monday.
MIAMI – Tropical Storm Debby has formed in the Gulf of Mexico as the focus on its trajectory toward Florida‘s Big Bend region grows.
The National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) current forecast suggests that Debby could possibly become a hurricane prior to landfall sometime on Monday. The majority of the Sunshine State remains under a state of emergency, as officials urge residents to prepare before the weather takes a turn for the worse.
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Florida is preparing for tropical impacts. The latest advisory predicts that Debby will form sometime Saturday and make landfall on Monday morning in Florida’s Big Bend, close to where Hurricane Idalia made its historic landfall as a Category 3 hurricane last year. Ominous skies were seen over waters of Fort Myers Beach on Saturday afternoon as the storm approaches.
Hurricane and Storm Surge alerts are in effect for portions of the Big Bend as Debby is expected to continue to gain strength over the eastern Gulf of Mexico throughout Saturday. A Tropical Storm Warning extends from Cedar Key to the Everglades.
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‘We’re expecting widespread heavy rainfall’
NHC Director Michael Brennan told FOX Weather on Saturday that Debby will be a multi-hazard event.
“The biggest hazards are usually the water, and we’re expecting widespread heavy rainfall – 5-10 inches across much of Florida up into the coastal southeast U.S. (with) isolated total size of 15 inches,” he said. “So certainly substantial risk for freshwater flooding and also the potential for storm surge.”
The latest forecast shows a potential landfall late Sunday night or early Monday morning in Florida’s Big Bend, close to where Hurricane Idalia made its historic landfall as a Category 3 hurricane last year.
If the storm hugs the coast, it could make landfall earlier, but if it stays out over the warm waters of the Gulf, then it could undergo further strengthening and become a hurricane before making landfall.
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Intense tropical downpours are expected for portions of Florida and the coastal areas of the Southeast. As Debby intensifies, there is the potential for hurricane-force wind gusts of 74 mph across the state.
Gusty winds are also a concern, especially along the Gulf Coast. Gusts of 50-70 mph should be expected as the storm makes landfall.
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Storm surge of 2-5 feet is possible along portions of Florida’s west coast, with the highest surge expected along the Big Bend area, and up to 4 feet in Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, the NHC warned.
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A Flood Watch is in effect for all of South Florida, including Miami, effective through Sunday evening.
A flash flooding risk Monday stretches from Jacksonville, Florida, up to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. These areas are in a Level 3 out of 4 risk zone for flash flooding.
“This is the area of greatest concern where we can see that really heavy rainfall unfold,” Brennan said.