FOX Weather Meteorologist Kiyana Lewis explains how the World Meteorological Organization manages the names we give to hurricanes and tropical storms.
Hurricane Debby has developed in the Gulf of Mexico as the storm takes aim at Florida, where landfall is expected Monday.
Debby is set to bring flooding rain, damaging winds and feet of storm surge to the Big Bend region of Florida before moving inland. By mid-week, the storm is expected to dump nearly 2 feet of rain on parts of Georgia and South Carolina.
The NHC is forecasting “potentially historic rainfall” across southeast Georgia and South Carolina through Friday, causing widespread flash flooding.
The governors of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have declared a state of emergency ahead of Debby and are urging residents to prepare for the multiple impacts the storm will bring.
“I think what’s going to make this much different than what we had with Idalia is it is going to move very slowly once it enters Florida – it’s going to be southern Georgia, northern Florida – and it is just going to drop an inordinate amount of water on the north central Florida region,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told FOX Weather on Sunday.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says state officials have been preparing for impacts from Tropical Storm Debby for several days and a state of emergency has already been issued.
Where is Hurricane Debby now?
The center of Hurricane Debby is situated in the eastern Gulf of Mexico just west of the Florida Peninsula.
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Where is Hurricane Debby headed?
Hurricane Debby will move north and northeast, making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Monday morning. From there, the forecast becomes less certain. A general trend to the northeast is expected before Debby slows to a snail’s pace in the vicinity of Georgia and South Carolina.
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Where have alerts been issued for Hurricane Debby?
Various tropical weather alerts have been issued in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. A Hurricane Warning is concentrated in the Big Bend region, where winds of at least 74 mph are anticipated.
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Storm surge alerts are also up for much of the Florida Gulf Coast, as well as the coastlines of Georgia and South Carolina. The worst of the surge is expected between the Aucilla River and the Suwannee River in Florida, where up to 10 feet of surge is forecast.
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Flooding will also be a major concern with Hurricane Debby. A Flood Watch has been issued in parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
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Where will the most rain fall during Hurricane Debby?
Hurricane Debby is expected to dump tremendous amounts of rain as it moves across the southeastern U.S. with more than a foot of rain possible in north central Florida and upwards of 2 feet of rain possible between Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
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A flood risk exists anywhere along Debby’s path, but the highest risk appears to be along the coastline of South Carolina where a Level 4 out of 4 risk zone has been highlighted by NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center.
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